The Goddess
by Ms.Mitty
Summary: After finding out what the Red Skull did with the Tesseract, Odin decides to send a guardian to Midgard to make sure it will never fall into the wrongs hands again. Sigyn volunteers for the duty. So begins an epic friendship between a half-blood goddess and the founders of SHIELD. (Part 3 of the Secret Sisterhood Trilogy/can be read as a standalone)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello again! This is the final installment of my Secret Sisterhood Trilogy, but like I said, it can also be read as a standalone. Also, it's my personal favorite one for mainly two reasons: Firstly, I'm still bitter **_**Agent Carter**_** got canceled. Secondly, I really wanted Sigyn to be a part of the MCU, but I also wanted her to be more than just "Loki's faithful wife." I'm still not sure if I should tag her as an OC or not. She is certainly based on her Norse mythology and comics counterpart, but I also took a lot of liberties to develop her character and to fit her into the MCU canon. So, this is how I came up with this "Asgard meets **_**Agent Carter**_**" idea.**

**On a side note, Sigyn is still Loki's wife here, yes, but this is a very plot-heavy story, not slow burn romance or anything. The first three chapters are to explain Sigyn's Asgardian background, and the rest of the story focuses on her life on Earth, and then the fight against Thanos.**

* * *

All warfare is based on deception.

—Sun Tzu

As the Queen of the Nine Realms, Frigga was accustomed to the horrors, destruction, and more importantly, the unpredictability of wars. She could never know how her king would return from one. This time, for example, he had returned with a missing eye. And a baby. Laufey's son, he had said. Frigga didn't understand what kind of monster would leave an innocent baby to die on a frozen rock. Surely, even a Frost Giant couldn't be so heartless…

"What exactly do you want me to do, Odin?" she asked softly, while Odin was busy examining his new eye patch in the mirror. It was going to take some time for him to get used to it.

"I want you to be a mother to her."

"That's not what I'm talking about." She knew there was more. With Odin, there was always more.

"Laufey and I have a truce, but I don't know for how long he will remain true to his word. This child, on the other hand, can help us unite Asgard and Jotunheim one day. Bring a true, permanent peace. But until then, no one can know the truth. _No one_. Will you make that happen, my queen?"

She looked at her firstborn, Thor, who was peacefully sleeping in his crib. He was usually such a loud, demanding baby that it was a rare moment to see him like this. She recalled how excited the people of Asgard had been when it had been announced that their queen was bearing an heir to the throne. If they were going to raise Laufey's son as their own, she had to cast a very powerful memory spell, to make everyone believe that the queen had been expecting a second child, so that no one would question his parentage.

Yes, she could do it, of course. She had cast a very similar spell once before, to make the Nine Realms forget about the horrors Odin's firstborn, Hela, had brought upon them. Among many talented sorcerers and sorceresses, Odin had chosen her for this duty, and that was how they had met. Odin was a young man, then, full of shame and regret. It had broken Frigga's heart, and she had devoted herself to heal his soul after the deed was done. Soon, they had fallen in love and married. After having to imprison his own daughter, Odin had dreaded the idea of siring another child for a very long time, but a king needed heirs. And Frigga was never going to let her sons become like Hela.

"What are we going to call him?"

He thought for a moment, then said, "Loki."

"Loki," she repeated, and took him into her arms. Loki smiled at her. He was such an amiable baby; he smiled at everyone he saw. "I think he likes his name."

Odin approached them and put a kiss on the top of Loki's head. "He is so beautiful. They both are."

"Of course. They are our sons."

He sighed thoughtfully.

"What is it, Odin?"

"There is… something else."

Frigga put Loki into a crib next to Thor's, then held her husband's hands. "Tell me."

"It is Tyr…"

"Tyr?" Tyr was a great warrior, one of Odin's most trusted generals, and a good friend to the royal family. She wondered what was wrong with him.

"As you know, the war started when the Jotuns attacked Midgard. When we were there, Tyr met a mortal woman. A shieldmaiden who was bravely defending her village against the Frost Giants."

He didn't have to say anything else. Frigga had understood. "He is in love…"

"He wants to bring her here and marry her. I don't know what to do, Frigga."

"Does she have a family? Anyone who will want to know where she has gone?"

"Heimdall says her entire family died in the war. The rest of her village will assume she must have died of her wounds as well."

It wasn't an easy decision to make. The mortals didn't belong in Asgard. But if they refused, Tyr might never forgive them. He would continue to serve them, of course. No one would doubt his loyalty. But he deserved to be happy. Ten years ago, he had lost his wife at childbirth. Thankfully, his daughter had survived, but it was still a tragedy.

"I am more concerned about that little girl, Sif. Even if she accepts this mortal woman as her mother, it will last less than a century… Poor thing."

"So, do you agree that I cannot allow it?"

"No, Odin. General Tyr has served you loyally for a long time. And perhaps for the first time in his life, he wants something for himself. You have already lost an eye. Don't lose your dearest friend as well."

…

Frigga cast the memory spell on the people of the Nine Realms. Now they all believed Queen Frigga had given birth to a son while Odin was fighting the Frost Giants in Jotunheim. Midgard was the only exception. While Loki's "birth" was a fact in the other eight realms, it would only be remembered as yet another myth by mortals. Odin believed they were still too primitive to know the truth. _"Let them think they are alone in the universe,"_ he would say. And maybe he was right. Every time someone from the other eight realms visited Midgard, mortals started to worship them as gods.

But Odin had let General Tyr bring his beloved mortal, Helga, to Asgard. It was easy to see why he had fallen for this mortal. She was a great beauty, with golden hair, haunting blue eyes, and flawless fair skin. And although she was the weakest being here in Asgard now, no doubt she had been considered a fierce warrior among her own people. Soon, they married under Odin's—and almost everyone else's, to be honest—disapproving gaze. Frigga, on the other hand, saw no harm in this at first. Tyr knew Helga was a mortal. He knew he would lose her after a few decades of happiness. He had explained the situation to his daughter as best as he could. Frigga had helped him as well, and the young Sif seemed to have understood. In fact, she had been most eager to meet Helga. Though she obviously saw this mortal woman as a pleasant oddity, rather than a mother figure. But then, perhaps that was for the best. As for Frigga, she actually admired this mortal's courage to leave everything behind and follow the man she loved to a realm of unknown. Perhaps that was why the two had warmed up to each other so quickly.

But five years after the wedding, Frigga started to question the wisdom of this arrangement when Helga came to her one morning, and told her that she might be with child.

"Are you sure?" Frigga asked.

"No, but I haven't bled in two months, my queen. I didn't know who else to go. Please, help me."

She was right to be anxious. A half-mortal, half-Asgardian child… Such a being had never existed before. Not to Frigga's knowledge, at least, and Frigga considered herself quite well-versed in the history of the Nine Realms. Still, she pitied this woman. Mortal lives were fleeting; it wasn't fair that they had to live their short lives with such burdens.

She took Helga's arm. "Come, let's see Eir. She can tell us if you are really with child."

On their way to the healing room, they saw Thor and Loki, playing in the gardens.

"Mother!" Thor cried, running towards her with a small snake in his hand. "Look what we found in the gardens! Isn't he beautiful?"

"He is, indeed. But please put the poor creature back where you found him."

"Yes, mother."

"Where are you going?" Loki asked.

Frigga decided not to lie to him. "To the healing room."

"Is Lady Helga ill?"

"She's a mortal, Loki. Why are you so surprised?" Thor said, but bit his lips when he realized how his mother was staring at him. Frigga knew he had meant no offense, but Thor could be so brusque sometimes. "Apologies, my lady, I didn't mean… I'm sure you're as healthy as a Bilgesnipe!"

Well, it wasn't the most graceful apology, but at least he had tried. It had made even Helga smile. Frigga kissed his sons, and told them to go back to playing.

When Eir, the most talented healer of Asgard, heard that Helga might be pregnant, she obviously did her best to keep an indifferent face, but Frigga knew her well enough to see how troubled she had become. Nevertheless, she told Helga to lie on the table, and ignited the Soul Forge.

A few moments later, she confirmed that Helga was indeed with child. And it was a girl. The mortal woman was smiling when she sat up on the table, but there was fear in her eyes.

"Tell me the truth, Eir. Will my daughter be like… you? Or me?"

Eir sighed thoughtfully. "It is hard to say. You must understand, Helga, you are the first mortal who was allowed to marry an Asgardian. Were you and General Tyr hoping to…"

She blushed in embarrassment. "No. We didn't even think it was possible."

"Well, your child is certainly going to be… unique. Whether this is a good or bad thing, that is not for me to say. But she is perfectly healthy, for the time being."

Frigga helped her get on her feet. "Come, Helga. Let's go back to the palace. Thank you for your counsel, Eir."

She bowed to Frigga. "My queen."

"Helga," Frigga started as they made their way back to the palace. This wasn't an easy to thing to say, but as a queen, it was her duty. "Like every woman, you deserve to experience motherhood. And I have no doubt you would be a great mother. But you heard Eir. Perhaps it would be more merciful if—"

Helga stopped, and put her hands on her belly in a protective manner. "My queen, please! Don't do this to me! Don't kill my unborn child!"

"No one is going to force you to do anything you don't want to do. As the Queen of Asgard, I give you my word," Frigga assured her. "But you and Tyr must think this through. For your daughter's sake."

"We will, of course," she said, but Frigga could see that she had already made up her mind. She was going to give birth to this child, no matter what everyone else said.


	2. Chapter 2

In Asgard, funerals were rare. Still, Sigyn had always known that her mother's funeral would be the first one she had to attend. 53 years. She had only been given 53 years to spend with her mother. She didn't even remember the first few, and had spent the last ones watching her growing old and gray. For a mortal, 53 years wasn't such a short time, but for an Asgardian, it was a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, Sigyn was neither.

_Half-mortal._

_Half-Asgardian._

_Half-sister._

_Half-blood._

_Half-breed._

Such were the words that had been used to describe her since she had been born. Perhaps that was why she would never feel whole. The last one was especially humiliating. Sometimes, she was angry with her parents for bringing her into this world. It was so thoughtless of them, so selfish… But right now, there was no such anger. All she felt was pain and grief.

As an archer shot a flaming arrow, and her mother's boat caught on fire, Sigyn felt Sif's hand tighten around hers. Sif. The fact that they didn't share a mother had never bothered them. They were the daughters of General Tyr, and that was enough for them to love each other more than anything else.

Their father had begged Odin to give Helga an Asgardian funeral, and Odin hadn't refused his friend's request. Still, she was a mortal, and no one expected anything to happen when Odin slammed Gungnir on the ground. But the crowd gasped in awe when they saw her spirit rise into the sky.

"Your mother was a great warrior back in Midgard," Queen Frigga, who was standing right behind the two maidens, whispered into Sigyn's ear. "The Norns have let her into Valhalla."

Queen Frigga had always been so kind to them. She had even shared her magic with Sigyn when she was a little girl, just like she had with her younger son, Loki. Although he was a pure-blood Asgardian, and even a son of Odin, Loki, too, was different from the other Asgardians. He wasn't a mighty warrior like his father or brother. And more importantly, he didn't want to be. Both Sigyn and Loki agreed that knowledge was more interesting than warfare. Besides, her mind was the only thing about her that wasn't inferior to other Asgardians. The only thing that helped her keep up with them.

But then, Valhalla was for warriors, not sorcerers or scholars…

"Let's go home," her father said gravely, snapping Sigyn out of her thoughts. The funeral had ended.

As he led Sigyn and Sif away from the shore, Sigyn found some consolation in the fact that this was also the last funeral she would ever have to attend. By now, they were all certain that her lifespan wasn't as short as a mortal's, but Sigyn didn't think it would be as long as an Asgardian's either. Uncertainity was the curse of her existence. But one thing was certain, at least: She was never going to outlive anyone else she cared about. She would never have to mourn for anyone else.

And she was going to find a way to be reunited with them in Valhalla when she died.

…

When they returned home, their father locked herself in his bedchambers, but Sif refused to leave her alone. Sigyn cried herself to sleep in her arms that night. When she woke up in the morning, Sif was gone, though. Probably to the training grounds. Swinging a sword was how she always coped with any kind of emotional pain; be it anger, sorrow, or even grief, it appeared.

Sigyn went to her father's bedchamber and knocked on the door. "Father?"

He didn't reply, but she heard the door being slowly unlocked. He seemed weary, like he had aged a thousand years overnight."Yes, Sigyn?"

"How are you feeling today?"

"I'll be fine, my dear. Don't concern yourself about me. How are _you_ feeling?"

"I miss her," she admitted.

"We both do. I thought I was prepared for this day, but… I'd been wrong, obviously."

"One day, you'll see her again in Valhalla."

He smiled, but Sigyn could see the fear in his eyes. He feared that Sigyn wasn't going to be a part of that reunion. Soon, he wouldn't have to, though.

She put a kiss on his cheek. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you. And Sigyn…"

"Yes, Father?"

"I know what you and Queen Frigga did for Helga during her final days. You eased her passage with your magic. I'm grateful for that."

All they had done was to give her pleasant dreams while her body's strength left her. Sigyn didn't know how much it had helped. At least she had her father's gratitude.

"I wish I could've done more," she mumbled and returned to her room. She had important things to do today. She started by taking all the books she had borrowed from the royal library, and returning them. Unfortunately, she encountered Loki there. He showed her a rare book his mother had recommended, one on the subject of the weapon enchantments, and started telling her how interesting it was. Sigyn knew he didn't really care about the book. He was just trying to distract her.

"Loki, stop," she said at last. "Such things don't interest me anymore."

"What do you mean, by 'such things'?"

"Ancient knowledge, magic, tricks that won't get me into Valhalla…"

He looked at her as if she had just betrayed him in the worst way possible. "_Tricks_? Now you sound just like the others…"

"Good," she said firmly. "Because I want to be like them. I want to be a great warrior like my sister and father... And my mother."

"Sigyn, this is just grief. It will pass, I promise. Let me help you."

"How? What can you do for me?"

He seemed to hesitate for a brief second, but then cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips. This was their first kiss, but the moment their lips touched, Sigyn realized that deep down, she had been expecting this moment for a very long time. They had always been close. Not physically, perhaps, but both emotionally and mentally. At first, it was because he was one of the few people who could put a genuine smile on her face, with his infamous mischief. And then, growing up, they had often found sanctuary in each other. The courtship between them had never been like the others in Asgard, but then, it didn't have to. Even a simple look or smile was often enough to prove how well they understood one another. Still, she didn't want to give him any false hopes, so she resisted the urge to kiss him back, and withdrew herself, but Loki only smirked.

"Marry me," he blurted out.

"Loki, this is not a good time for your jests."

"I'm serious."

And he was. She could see the burning passion in his green eyes now. Had he gone mad? "I cannot be your wife. I cannot be anyone's wife. You know what I am."

"I don't care. I love you. You love me. Why should we torment ourselves?"

_Because there is still hope for you_, she thought. Loki had ambitions, and to fulfill those ambitions, he was going to need a bride that could give him worthy heirs. For now, he was too blinded by his love for her to see that, but it was the truth. There was nothing Sigyn could do about the weakness in her blood, but Loki could still find a way to be king one day. At least one of them could find happiness.

"No, Loki… Tell Queen Frigga that I'm grateful for her lessons, but I'll no longer be attending them," she said, and walked away from him.

"If you really are grateful for those lessons, you will tell her yourself!" Loki bellowed angrily. The librarians shot them an annoyed look, but didn't say anything. After all, Loki was a prince of Asgard.

She went to the blacksmith's shop next. Years ago, Haldier the Blacksmith had forged Sif an armor, and that armor had saved her life many times. At least that was what Sigyn had been told. Haldier looked at her as if she was mad when she said she wanted an armor for herself, but he took her measurements nevertheless and said her armor would be ready in three days.

…

When Sif had started training as a warrior, many had scoffed at her. After all, it was an unusual thing for a young maiden to be a warrior. Once, there were the Valkyries, of course, but that was a long time ago. Legend had it they all had died gruesome deaths, but no one remembered how, or why. But Sif had had their father's support, and more importantly, Thor's. It hadn't taken her long to prove her worth as a swordswoman. Although Asgard had brought peace to the universe half a century ago, every once in a while, there was someone who wanted to change that. Sif, Haldorr, the sons of Odin, and the Warriors Three had fought many mighty battles together. Now it was time Sigyn joined them.

She hadn't shown her armor to anyone yet. Not even to Sif. She was afraid of the reaction she would get. But if her own sister didn't support Sigyn, who else would? So, one morning, she mustered up her courage, went to the courtyard, and found her training with the guards as usual.

Sif stopped when she saw her. "Sister, is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I was just hoping you could train me."

"What?"

"Teach me how to handle myself in a battle."

Sif frowned when she realized Sigyn was serious. "Sigyn, this is a bad idea."

"Why? I want to be a warrior. Like Father. Like you."

"Since when?"

"Since my mother's funeral."

Her frown deepened.

"Look, I know I'm weak, but—"

"Sigyn, you're not weak. You just… have a different sort of strength. You don't have to prove anyone anything."

Sigyn held her hands and begged her, "Please, sister. One way or the other, I'll learn how to wield a sword. But if you don't support me, no one else will."

"If any harm comes to you, I'll never forgive myself."

"There will be nothing to forgive. Dying a warrior's death is my choice. It's what I want. We're sisters. We must always support each other."

"Fine," she relented, grabbed a sparring sword and tossed another one at her. This was embarrassing. Sparring swords were blunt, and only children trained with them. Not grown men or women.

"Father taught us the basics when we were young. Do you remember them?"

"Yes."

"Good. Show me your stance."

Sigyn did. Sif studied her for a moment, corrected the position of her left elbow, and right foot, then they started. As usual, the training grounds were full of warriors, but they couldn't see any of their friends yet. Sigyn could feel other people's mocking gazes on herself. Some had even stopped sparring and were now watching her. But that oaf, Gustav, was the worst. He was openly laughing at them. His audacity must have encouraged the others, because soon, they joined him.

"Just ignore them," Sif whispered. "They're actually doing you a favor by distracting you. It can help you learn how to focus."

Well, focusing was the easy part. Sif had never practiced magic. She couldn't know how much focus even the simplest spell required. Years of training in magic had taught Sigyn how to concentrate well, even under difficult circumstances. It was the physical exhaustion she was struggling with. The damnable sword was too heavy. Her arms had already turned to lead, so had her legs. Sif didn't seem to notice. She was still expecting Sigyn to keep up with her. She only stopped when she saw Thor storming into the yard. He was furious.

"Show some respect, you miserable fools!" he bellowed, and threw Mjolnir at Gustav, knocking him unconscious. No one was laughing anymore. His friends quickly dragged Gustav away.

"Thanks, but I was the one who let them laugh at us. I thought it would be good practice for my sister." Sigyn bit her lip to suppress a smile. Sif was trying really hard in order to not blush.

"I don't doubt it, Lady Sif," he said, and then turned to Sigyn. "Sigyn, it's good to see you here."

"Thank you. I've decided to become a warrior like my mother, to honor her memory."

He patted on her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be a great warrior maiden, my lady. Oh, by the way, my mother wishes to have a word with you," he said, and then went to find himself a sparring partner.

"I better not keep the Queen waiting," Sigyn told Sif, and put the training sword back on the weapons rack. She hadn't seen Queen Frigga since the funeral, and was now feeling a bit ashamed. Loki was right. She should have told her herself. After everything Frigga had done for her, she owed her that much.

"You seem troubled," Sif observed.

"I don't think Queen Frigga is going to be pleased to hear that I don't want to practice sorcery anymore."

"You were her prodigy, Sigyn. I seriously don't know what's going on with you. But it doesn't change the fact that I'm proud of you," she said, looking at the warriors who had been ridiculing them only a few minutes ago.

"Thor did it for you, you know. He likes you."

"My heart belongs to Haldor," she said, but Sigyn could swear that she was blushing again.

"Only because you're afraid to give it to Thor."

"It's not his love I'm afraid of. It's the life that comes with that love. I wasn't born to be a princess, or queen. I'm a warrior."

"You could be the first warrior queen of Asgard."

"I love Haldor. I made my choice a long time ago."

"If you say so, sister."

She smirked. "And what about you? Do you think we haven't noticed how you and Loki look at each other?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous," she said evasively, but she knew her sister was right. Of course they must have realized it by now. At least they didn't know that Loki had asked for Sigyn's hand in marriage. And they never would.

"I don't like Loki," Sif said. "You deserve someone better than him."

She chuckled mirthlessly. "Who else would want a half-breed like me?"

"You think so little of yourself, Sigyn. You're one of the most beautiful women in the Nine Realms, and the daughter of a legendary warrior. Men would kill each other for your love."

…

Sigyn tried to avoid Frigga's gaze as she curtsied. "My queen, you wished to see me?"

"Yes, Sigyn. Come." She gently took Sigyn's arm, and led her into her study. "I see you no longer wish to practice magic?"

"True. Please forgive my disrespect. I should have—"

"And my son has asked for your hand in marriage?" Frigga interrupted her softly, her voice still gentle.

"Also true," Sigyn admitted. So, someone had told her. The only question was, was it Heimdall, or Loki himself?

"Why did you refuse him?"

"We barely know each other."

"Sigyn, you two have known each other all your lives."

"As friends. Not lovers."

"Right. Perhaps the proposal was a bit too sudden. Loki should've courted you properly first. And his timing was also disrespectful. After all, you're still in mourning."

Sigyn looked at her, taken aback. "So, do you… approve? Of this marriage?"

"Why would I not approve?"

_Why is she doing this_, Sigyn wondered. Was this some sort of test? "Because Loki is a prince. And I am not fit to be his bride."

"That could be a problem, if he were the sole heir to the throne…"

Sigyn chose to remain silent.

"I'm not blind," the queen went on. "I see how eager Loki is to prove himself Thor's equal. And there are many who mistake that for jealousy."

_Especially my sister_. "I don't think it is jealousy. I think it is… something else."

"The mighty warriors of Asgard sometimes cast large shadows. My husband and my first-born, most of all. I'd hoped, by sharing my gifts with you and Loki, you could find some sun for yourselves. And you did. But more importantly, you found each other. Yet you want to cast this aside. And for what, child?"

Sigyn decided to be honest with her. "My mother died of old age, but like you said, she went to Valhalla because she was a great warrior in her youth. I'm weak, my queen. I know I'll never be a great warrior. My only hope to go to Valhalla is to die with a sword in my hand."

"Not everything they say about Valhalla is true, you know."

She shot her a questioning look.

"There was a time the arcane arts were revered in the Nine Realms, and not frowned upon. Magic was simply a weapon, like a sword or hammer."

"What changed?"

"People tend to remember the lives magic destroyed and forget the ones it saved."

"But isn't it dishonorable, to deceive your opponents with illusions, or hide from them with a cloaking spell?"

Frigga smiled. "Define honor."

Sigyn opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly, she realized she was at a loss for words. Honor was just… honor. She had never thought much about a definition.

Frigga chuckled softly, as if this was the exact response she had been expecting. "You're one of the most brilliant students I've had the pleasure to teach, but even you still have so much to learn, Sigyn. I've been training you only for four decades, and we've barely scratched the surface. I can teach you how to use your gifts to be a warrior if you choose. You can be both a great warrior and a sorceress. Your mistake is to think those are different paths."

Sigyn knew Queen Frigga wouldn't want to lose her most promising pupil, but she would never lie just to be able to keep teaching Sigyn either. So, it had to be true, then. Sigyn didn't have to give up on her true passion for the glory of Valhalla.

"Thank you, my queen. I'm forever grateful for your wise guidance."

…

Indeed, after that day, Frigga started to focus on the spells that would be useful during a fight. In the meantime, Sigyn was training with the sword as well. Like Frigga had said, she didn't have to choose one path over the other. As for Loki, he had simply said he was a patient man, and was pretending like nothing had changed between them. In fact, he even courted other ladies—especially sorceresses—at every opportunity just to make Sigyn jealous.

_A patient man_. Like Sigyn didn't even have the option to refuse him… It wounded her pride. Perhaps it was his arrogance that led Sigyn to tell her father that she wished to be married to a suitable husband. He seemed confused at first, but respected her daughter's wish. Men didn't kill each other for her love, as Sif had claimed, but she wasn't too hopeless either. Soon, she had a suitor from Vanaheim.

His name was Theoric, and he was a widower with two sons. So, at least her husband wasn't going to expect Sigyn to bear him strong children. He was kind, noble, and handsome as well. Deep down, she knew she was making a mistake, but this was the only way to show Loki that she didn't belong to him just because she was a lesser Asgardian.


	3. Chapter 3

If the woman Thor wished to wed was betrothed to another, Thor would challenge him to a duel and kill him with his bare hands. Perhaps that was why Haldor hadn't asked Sif's hand in marriage yet. No one was brave enough to say this out loud, but they all knew Thor fancied Sif. But Loki wasn't Thor, and no one feared what he might do if someone tried to steal Sigyn from him. Too bad. They should have.

"I'm no fool," he told Theoric, as he tested the shackles. "I know I don't stand a chance against you in a duel. Weapons aren't allowed in such duels, but then, neither is magic."

Theoric growled against the muzzle over his mouth. He was a strong, bulky Vanir warrior. He was also quite handsome, with those long, dark brown locks and that strong, well-defined jawline, but Loki knew it wasn't the reason Sigyn had chosen him. She had chosen him because she didn't have to give him any children. Still, Loki struggled to understand what madness had seized her to marry a man she barely knew, just to spite Loki. Had his love offended her? Why? He didn't know. All he knew was that he had to put an end to this madness.

His plan had required many spells. First, he had had to lure Theoric into this cave. It had been his least favorite part, having to disguise himself as Sigyn and taking a stroll in the forest with Theoric. Then he had to enchant the shackles and the muzzle to make sure Theoric would stay put until the wedding feast was over. And of course, he had had to hide himself from Heimdall's gaze while doing all these. He truly had become a master of magic. His mother was going to be proud when she found out. Horrified, but proud.

"Do not fret. Once I marry Sigyn, I'll let you go home with your sons." He had no intentions of starting a conflict with Vanaheim by murdering a Vanir nobleman. That was something Thor would do. Theoric growled again. His dark eyes were burning with rage. He looked like a wild beast. Loki could put him into a deep sleep, of course, but why would he do such a thing? That would be mercy. He wanted Theoric to suffer. Sigyn, a creature of grace and intelligence, certainly deserved better than him. Perhaps she would hate Loki at first for what he did, but in time, she would be grateful.

…

Growing up with her, Loki thought he had grown used to Sigyn's beauty. But when he saw her in that wedding dress, he realized how wrong he had been. It was as if the universe itself had stopped. Indeed, today everyone was looking at her with admiration. Even the narrow-minded who considered her mortal heritage a disgrace to Asgard. And soon, she would be his. He just had to stay in this disguise for a few more minutes.

Pretending to be Theoric had been easy. No one had suspected a thing. Not even his sons. Not even Odin, it appeared, for he didn't even hesitate as he pronounced them husband and wife.

_My poor Sigyn_, he thought when their eyes met. She looked like she had just been sold into slavery as she waited for him to seal his vows with a kiss. Loki decided to end her torment, and revealed himself. He heard the crowd gasp in shock, but his eyes were fixated on his gorgeous bride. He couldn't read her expression. She blinked several times as she took in the realization. She didn't seem pleased, but she wasn't angry either.

"Loki!" his father bellowed. "What have you done?"

Loki turned to him and grinned. "I've saved the woman I love from making a grave mistake."

"What is the meaning of this?" Theoric's sons asked. "Where is our father?"

"Your father is safe, don't worry." He then looked at his mother and winked. She simply shook her head angrily. Thor, Haldor, Volstagg and Fandral seemed amused. Hogun's face was inscrutable. As for Sif and General Tyr, they looked like they wanted to kill Loki. Yes, the scene was exactly as Loki had imagined. Most Asgardians were predictable, if nothing else.

Odin rose from his throne and slammed Gungnir on the floor. The murmuring crowd went silent immediately. He then approached the newlywed couple, and gently put a hand on Sigyn's shoulder.

"Sigyn, child, I apologize to you on my son's behalf. The marriage, of course, shall be annulled at once."

"No, Allfather…"

"No?"

"Loki is my husband now. I've sworn to be loyal to him. I cannot break my oath."

"You didn't know you were swearing yourself to _him_, though. That oath doesn't bind you anymore, not under such… shameful circumstances."

"I'm his wife now. If I am not a worthy bride for your son, banish me, imprison me, execute me… But please do not ask me to forsake my husband."

Loki didn't think he had ever felt such a strong pride before. To be honest, he hadn't expected such fidelity from her. At least not in the foreseeable future.

His father thought for a moment and then said, "Very well. Swear to me that you will not bear him any children, and I will not annul this marriage."

Loki clenched his fists angrily. Of course. Of course his father had to ruin the happiest day of his life by humiliating her before the entire realm. It was Loki's fault, really. He should have seen this coming.

"I swear, Allfather, that I will _never_ bear any children." Sigyn hadn't even hesitated. She was holding her head high with dignity, trying to look proud, but Loki could see how her lips were trembling. Forcing a lady to swear that she would bear no children at her own wedding, before the whole realm? Even a peasant woman wouldn't deserve to be treated like that.

The ceremony proceeded with a small feast. It was understandable, for the cooks weren't expecting it to be the wedding feast of an Odinson. Sigyn barely spoke with anyone, or ate, although she was still maintaining a poised demeanor. Everyone, even her family, was looking at her with pity now. Loki couldn't wait for this feast to be over so that he could apologize to her properly in private. But Theoric's sons insisted they see their father at once and take him home. Loki took his father, brother, and the sons of Theoric to the cave in the forest.

"You'll answer for this, liesmith!" Theoric roared the moment Loki set him free.

Loki only flashed him a triumphant grin in response. He knew Theoric's threats were idle.

This time, the Vanir turned to Odin. "Allfather?"

"Lady Sigyn made her choice. She accepted Loki as her husband. I cannot annul the marriage."

"I've been made a fool of by a trickster and a half-breed! I will not forget this!"

Thor raised Mjolnir and prepared to attack Theoric, but when Odin put a hand on his chest to stop him, he only growled and said, "Have care how you speak of my brother and his wife!"

Although Loki hated having to live in his shadow, deep down, he still enjoyed seeing how far Thor was willing to go to defend his younger brother. If only Thor saw him as an equal, if only he respected Loki's talents in the arts of both magic and diplomacy… Things could be much more different then. Thor could have the throne, or Mjolnir, Loki didn't care. All he wanted was some recognition.

"Thor is right," their father said. "Loki is a prince of Asgard, and Lady Sigyn is now my daughter by law. I cannot defend Loki's actions, but I will not let you insult them either, Lord Theoric. Take your sons and return to Vanaheim, while you still can."

Loki was _almost_ tempted to forgive his father for what he had done to Sigyn.

"Come on, Father, let's go," one of his sons spat bitterly.

Theoric and his sons set off to Heimdall's Observatory, while Loki, Thor and Odin returned to the palace. Loki was expecting a lecture, and even a punishment from his father, but he simply told him to go see his wife, for it was her forgiveness Loki needed to earn.

"Enjoy your wedding night, brother," Thor whispered in his ear. But Loki didn't expect a proper wedding night anytime soon.

…

He found Sigyn sitting on the bed, weeping, when he entered his bedchambers. No, it was _their_ bedchambers now. His dream had come true. Sigyn was his bride now. Then why did he have this uneasy feeling in his stomach?

She was still wearing her beautiful wedding dress, but her braids had been loosened, her eyes were red and swollen. It was such a heart-breaking sight. Slowly, he shut the door, and approached her. When he tried to caress her cheek, she raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't touch me!"

"As you wish," he said respectfully, and pulled a chair to sit across her instead. "I'm truly sorry, Sigyn. What my father did was—"

She looked at him, her blue eyes were almost on icy fire. "And what about what _you_ did?" she snarled.

"I saved you."

"From what, exactly?"

"From yourself! You were going to marry a man you barely knew. You were going to ruin your life."

"Yes, Loki, _my_ life!_ I_ get to decide what to do with it, not you! I made a choice. You should've respected it! Even if it was a mistake!"

"Then why didn't you let Odin annul the marriage? You could've continued making your mistake."

"I couldn't have humiliated the man I loved."

Loki smiled. "So, you love me."

"Have I ever denied it?" she asked bitterly.

"Why did you choose Theoric, then?"

"To punish you."

"For what? What did I do to you?" He didn't understand. He truly loved Sigyn. He had always treated her with respect. Yes, he had courted other women, but surely someone as clever as Sigyn would know that it was only to make her jealous.

"You took me for granted! You thought I had no other choice but to marry you because I'm half-mortal!"

"What?" he asked, now genuinely baffled.

"You said you could wait. That you were a patient man…"

"I only said that because I knew you were still mourning your mother. Sigyn, you've become delusional." He knew she felt inferior because of her mortal heritage, but he hadn't realized how serious it had become until now.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Sigyn narrowed her eyes and studied him, like she was trying to understand if he was being honest.

"I swear I'm telling you the truth," Loki said. He might be the God of Lies, but not to his beloved Sigyn. And especially not now.

"That wasn't the only reason," she confessed all of a sudden.

"Was there more?"

"I know what your heart's desire is."

"Of course you do." He grinned. After all, she was the one thing he desired more than anything else. And not just her maidenhead, not. He wanted her heart, her soul, every part of her.

"I'm talking about the throne of Asgard," she said firmly. "A king needs a queen that can bear him strong heirs."

Loki was abashed to hear that. "Now you disappoint me, my love."

"You don't want the throne?"

"No. I only want to be Thor's equal."

"I don't understand, Loki. What's the difference?"

"The difference is, as long as you're the _only_ reason Odin will choose Thor over me, I don't care."

She seemed to have understood. "But I'm not the only reason."

"That's what I'm trying to change. One day I'll find a way to prove my worth."

Sigyn reached out and took his hand. "And as your wife, it's my duty to help you."

"You're such a dutiful wife…"

"Right. Which reminds me…" she said nervously, stood up, and started unfastening her dress.

Loki stood up as well. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you want to consummate the marriage? I might have sworn an oath that I will not bear any children, but it's still my duty to make you happy."

He chuckled. "Sigyn, stop… You've been through a lot today, and I can see that this is the last thing you want to do right now. So, stop."

"Are you certain?"

"I'm a patient man," he said, and then quickly added, "Oh, and before you start having delusional ideas again, it has nothing to do with you being half-mortal."

She laughed. Now this was the Sigyn he wanted to see. "Get some rest. I'll sleep in one of the guest chambers."

"Stay, Loki. I don't want one of the servants to see you and start spreading rumors… And I don't want to be alone."

"Very well." He kissed Sigyn's lips, and this time, she actually kissed him back.

…

Shortly after their wedding, life in Asgard returned to normal. The couple trained with Thor, Sif, Haldor, and the Warriors Three in the courtyard every morning, and then they spent the afternoons practicing sorcery with Frigga. Loki knew people thought he would soon grow bored of his new bride, as if he were nothing but a spoiled child, but that wasn't true. Perhaps for the first time in his life, he was happy. He was even honored when his father asked for his help in creating a Berserker army. Loki enchanted their staffs to give them an extraordinary strength that would come from their inner rage and hatred. It was dark magic, yes, but the volunteers knew what they were agreeing to. Loki could see his mother didn't approve of this, but Odin was persistent. Indeed, the Berserker Army won many battles, until Odin decided to disperse them.

Poor Sigyn was so desperate to be a great warrior that she had wanted a Berserker staff for herself, but thankfully, Loki and Frigga had been able to talk her out of it. The effects of the enchantment lasted a few decades at best. While that meant barely a heartbeat for an average Asgardian, no one knew what it meant for Sigyn. The uncertainty of her lifespan was another reason why Loki had been in such a rush to wed her.

They had been happily married for four hundred years when Lorelei, an Asgardian seductress, took control of Nornheim. She could enslave men's minds with her voice. On those who were strong enough to resist her voice, she used her touch as well. According to Heimdall, she had taken control of Nornheim, and was planning to use her army to conquer the rest of the Nine Realms.

Loki knew her well enough. He was one of the women he used to court to make Sigyn jealous. Her powers worked only on men. Well, most men, at least. She had once tried to enthrall Loki, but he had been able to resist her. Of course, as usual, no one acknowledged how much willpower it took to resist Lorelei's sorcery. He caught Volstagg, Fandral and Haldor exchanging mocking glances, and he knew what they meant. They thought Loki was able to resist because he wasn't "man" enough.

But everyone else at the war council was only frowning.

"How can we stop her, then?" Thor asked.

"Sigyn and I made this," their mother said, showing them an enchanted collar. "This will silence her voice, and free the enthralled."

"So, all we have to do is to put this on her?"

Hogun, who looked even grimmer than usual, shook his head. "It will not be easy. The Castle of Nornheim is impenetrable. And now it is hers."

"And I suppose she won't be leaving it while her men do the dirty work?" Sif asked.

"She has no reason to."

"We could sneak in," Loki suggested. "Sif, Sigyn, and I. We don't have to fear her voice."

"You'll be walking into a trap," General Tyr said. "Lorelei will be expecting you."

"Of course she'll be expecting a trick, unless she sees the Asgardian army marching on Nornheim."

"Do you want to use our _army_ as a distraction, brother?" Thor asked in disbelief.

"Well, yes. Let her think our plan is to lay siege to the castle and force her to come out."

Odin was rubbing his beard thoughtfully. "That is a good plan," he said, much to everyone's surprise.

…

As the dutiful wife she was, Sigyn helped Loki don his armor. And as a dutiful husband, Loki helped Sigyn don hers.

"Nervous?" he said cheerfully, trying to hide the concern in his voice. He felt the same concern every time they prepared for a fight, but Sigyn didn't seem to care. She was still obsessed with the idea of being a great warrior. He feared the obsession would get her killed one of these days.

"Not at all. This is not my first battle." She picked up her shield and double-bladed sword. They were a gift from her father. Sif had been given the same set as well.

"Sigyn…"

"Yes?"

"Please be careful around Lorelei."

"I know, Loki."

"No, not just because you're a half-mortal. As you know, Lorelei was one of the women I used to make you jealous, and… I don't think she'll be happy to see us."

"Loki, I know how to defend myself. I'm not a child, or a cripple."

Loki concluded that arguing her would only make her more desperate to prove herself in battle, so he made no reply. As usual, he, Thor, Haldor, Sif and the Warriors Three would be leading the troops. Loki and Sigyn met their friends at the stables, and they rode to Heimdall's Observatory together. The soldiers were already waiting for them in formation by the time they arrived in Nornheim. To make this siege more convincing, Thor decided to send the archers first. It was still early in the morning, and Loki wanted to wait until nightfall to sneak into the castle. Until then, there wasn't much to do, other than to wait in the camp.

Lorelei had once told Loki that she had been born with these powers, but such powers usually ran in the family. It was most likely that one of her female ancestors had acquired these powers through dark magic, and Lorelei had inherited them. Sigyn and Loki were discussing where her powers might have come from when they heard Thor roar in rage, and smash a boulder nearby with Mjolnir. The Warriors Three seemed deeply troubled, but Sif… Loki had never seen her so distraught before.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Lorelei sent a messenger," Fandral replied. "She has Haldor."

Haldor was the commander of the archers. So, he had been captured…

Sigyn went to hug her sister, while Thor roared again and smashed another boulder. "That witch will pay for that! Turning my own friends against me…"

Loki decided to calm him down. "Of course she will pay. Patience, brother. It will end tonight."

"See, this is why I despise sorcery!"

Loki sighed, and decided not to have this discussion with him right now. Warriors like Thor believed magic was something that would just cease to exist if you hated it hard enough, which, of course, wasn't true. Magic was a part of their reality, and the only way to control it was to understand it. Perhaps it was to teach him this simple lesson Loki constantly practiced most spells he learned on his brother.

Thor might be a fool sometimes, but even he understood why he shouldn't go anywhere near Lorelei. If she turned Thor against them, the only one who stood a chance against him in the Nine Realms was their father. Just to be safe, Loki decided to make sure Thor still remembered that. "Brother," he started carefully. "If you see Lorelei, run. Don't even look back. There's no shame in—"

"I know, I know," he muttered angrily.

"Loki," Sigyn said. "Haldor knows of our plan. We can't afford to wait until nightfall."

Sif nodded. "My sister is right. It's now or never."

"Fine," Loki relented. They were right. Loki and Sigyn cast a cloaking spell, and entered the castle through the sewers. This wasn't going to make a glorious story to tell, true, but at least the enemy would be defeated and Sif would get her lover back.

Once they were inside, Sigyn gave him the collar. "You should have this. Sif is too concerned about Haldor right now, and as we all know, I'm the weakest warrior in Asgard. You stand a better chance of putting this on Lorelei's neck."

Loki didn't argue, and took the collar from her. Then they set off to find the throne room. That was where Lorelei would probably be. And indeed, they found her sitting on the throne, with the King of Nornheim and Haldor standing on either side of her. There were also at least three dozens of soldiers in the room. They had walked right into a trap, but only because that fool, Haldor, had managed to get captured.

"Hello, Loki," she said. "I've been expecting you. What? Did you think I'd forget you chose that half-breed over me? You'll both pay for that insult!"

"Come on, Lorelei… Did you really hope to marry an Odinson?" he asked to taunt her. In the meantime, he was trying to conjure a doppelganger that he would soon use to deceive the soldiers, but for some reason, he couldn't.

Lorelei laughed. "Oh, Loki, you're so predictable. Sorry, but I'm the only one who can use magic in this room."

"Good thing I don't need magic to kill you," Sif said, and lunged forward to kill the nearest soldier. This marked the start of the fight.

Loki wished he could run to Sigyn's side, but that was impossible, because he had been surrounded by eight men. He drew his daggers, and waited to see which one would attack first. In the meantime, she could see Sif and Sigyn fighting. For a half-mortal, Sigyn fought well, he had to admit. But he decided to win the battle first and be proud of his wife later.

One soldier swung an ax at him. He dodged the blow easily, and the ax hit another man instead, killing him instantly. A third one was able to grab him from behind, and by Odin's beard, he was strong. Loki might not be able to use magic, but at least his daggers had been coated in a very special poison. Even a small cut was enough to incapacitate his enemies. So, with the dagger in his right hand, he opened a cut on the arm that was snaked around his neck, and broke free from the grasp, while he stabbed another soldier in the eye with the other dagger.

He kept whirling around, slashing and stabbing, until Sif yelled, "Loki, stop!"

_Damn_. Something was wrong. He knew something was wrong even before he turned around to see what it was. When he did, he saw Lorelei, standing behind Sigyn. She had forced his wife down on her knees, and pulled her hair to expose Sigyn's throat. The double-bladed sword was in Lorelei's hand.

"This is a fine blade. The half-breed doesn't deserve it."

"Lorelei," Sif hissed. "Let my sister go, or—"

"Or what? You're in no position to make demands, Sif. I can slit her throat before you can even say another word… With her own sword." She pressed the blade against Sigyn's throat harder.

He tried not to think about what he would he do if Sigyn died. He needed to remain calm if he wanted to save her. He was going to save her.

"Lorelei," he started warily. "Perhaps we could come to an arrangement."

"Alright."

_That was too easy_, he thought. "What do you want?"

"I want Sif to make a choice. Between her sister and lover… Haldor?"

Without hesitation, Haldor drew his sword and pressed it against his own throat. The silence that followed could be the most unbearable thing Loki had ever heard.

"Lorelei, this is madness," Sif said at last. She was trying to sound intimidating, but even a blind man could see how terrified she was.

Sigyn was weeping quietly. Loki knew it wasn't fear. It was shame. She had been given an opportunity to prove her worth as a warrior, but Lorelei had turned her into a hostage that was being used to torment her sister. And like Loki, Sigyn had always been too damn proud.

"How can I know that you won't kill them both?" Sif asked.

"You can't be sure, of course… But then, why would I do such a thing and free you from the guilt that will haunt you for the rest of your life? I will remain true to my word. But you have to choose."

"Sister," Sigyn said, her voice barely audible. "I'm going to die anyway. I should've never been born in the first place. Please, just let me die."

Sif looked at her first, then Haldor. She, too, was crying now.

"It's hard to make a choice, I understand. He is a fine lover, isn't he?" Lorelei taunted Sif.

_Come on, Sif. Don't be a fool. She is your sister._ To be honest, Loki didn't care what happened to Haldor. Deep down, Loki thought he even deserved this for mocking him earlier. They had never liked one another. All he wanted was to get his wife back. He readied a throwing knife, but he couldn't throw anything at Lorelei while she was watching him so carefully. She knew every trick he had up his sleeve.

"I can't," Sif whimpered. "I can't let you die, Sigyn. We're sisters."

Loki had to try very hard not to release a deep breath of relief.

Lorelei grin widened. She was enjoying this. "Say it, Sif. Tell me to release her, and this will be over quickly."

Sif turned to Haldor, and tried to smile. "My love? Do you recognize me?"

"I'm not _your_ love, Sif," he replied coldly. "My heart belongs only to Lorelei."

"She wants to kill you."

"Then I'll gladly die for her."

"Haldor, I know you're still in there somewhere. I know whatever this sorceress might have done to you, you're strong enough to fight it. But if not…" She paused, and gulped before continuing. "If not, I hope you can forgive me."

Haldor's expression remained indifferent. Lorelei cleared her throat impatiently.

Sif gulped again, and then sucked in a sharp breath, as if the words she was about to speak were going to hurt her physically. "Release my sister."

"As you wish," Lorelei said, forced Sigyn on her feet, and pushed her toward Sif. But for a brief moment, she forgot to keep her eyes on Loki. He used this opportunity to throw the knife at her. She screamed in pain when she got stabbed in the shoulder.

"Haldor, no!" Loki heard Sif cry as he rushed toward Lorelei, but he didn't have time to look. He quickly put the collar on Lorelei. She opened her mouth to say something, but her voice was muted. The collar worked. Of course it did. His mother had made this collar.

"You're going to suffer for what you did to my wife," he hissed into her ear.

…

On their way back to Asgard, Sigyn couldn't even look her sister in the eye. She blamed herself for what happened. Once they learned what had happened from Loki, Thor and the Warriors Three chose to remain quiet, too. Normally, Thor would throw a feast to celebrate their victory, but this time, even Volstagg didn't suggest the idea.

"I thought my mother's funeral would be the only one I'd ever have to see," Sigyn said once they were alone in their bedchambers.

"Sigyn… Please don't do this to yourself. What happened wasn't your fault."

She quickly changed out of her armor into a silk dress. "My last battle," she chuckled bitterly, looking at the armor. She then took her armor, sword and shield, and put them into an empty chest.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked, confused.

"I cannot be a warrior, not without putting the lives of my family and friends in danger. I was selfish. I wanted to become a warrior so that I could be reunited with my mother in Valhalla. I should've known someone was going to die because of me. I should've accepted my place as the half-breed."

Loki was glad that Odin had decided not to execute Lorelei. No, death would have been too merciful for that whore, indeed. She was going to spend the rest of her days in a cold, dark cell, shackled and muzzled like an animal. That was the punishment she deserved for what she had done to Sigyn.


	4. Chapter 4

Although Sigyn hadn't held a sword since Haldor's death, it wasn't unusual for her to be summoned to Odin's war council on occasion, both as Loki's wife and Frigga's apprentice. Not that Odin needed her counsel while he had his queen, his sons, and his generals. Perhaps he had given Sigyn a seat because he pitied her. And who didn't pity the daughters of Tyr, after what had happened in Nornheim five centuries ago? Still, Sigyn remembered to pretend like she was honored to be here.

"Heimdall has brought disturbing tidings from Midgard," Odin started.

Sigyn frowned. Midgard… The Aesir mostly ignored Midgard, like it wasn't even one of the Nine Realms, but not Sigyn. It was her mother's realm, after all.

"Five hundred years ago, I decided to hide the Tesseract in Midgard, hoping it would be safer there. I was wrong."

Yes, she remembered… Shortly before Lorelei had tried to conquer the Nine Realms, Odin and his sons had taken the Tesseract to a village called Tonsberg. It was where Asgard had battled the Frost Giants, but more importantly, it was where her parents had met. Tonsberg was her mother's village.

But what the Allfather said didn't make any sense. According to Loki, a mortal had sworn an oath to keep the Tessearct hidden in a temple. That mortal must have been dead by now, but his descendants were bound by the same oath. Had they betrayed Odin?

"In Midgard, there is a dangerous cult named HYDRA. Their leader, a mortal named Johann Schmidt, also known as the Red Skull, stole it and used it to wreak havoc across the realm. He knew the stories about us were more than mere myths. He believed the Tesseract could give him the power of the gods."

Thor slammed his fist on the table. "What are we waiting for? If he wants to see the power of the gods, let's give him a taste!"

Odin raised a hand to silence him. "There is no need for that. The Red Skull is gone. Midgard is safe, for now. Besides, we do not meddle with mortal affairs. They must advance through adversary. It is the only way. But apparently, I was wrong to underestimate their greed."

"Are you going to bring the Tesseract back to Asgard, Father?" Loki asked.

"No. As I said, it is safer in Midgard. But I will send one of our own to protect it."

"Who would volunteer for such a duty?" Thor scoffed.

"It will be a great honor to be the guardian of the Tesseract. I am sure we can find a volunteer. Spread the word."

"No, wait," Sigyn blurted out. She didn't know what had come over her, but suddenly, she felt like this was the right thing to do. "Allfather, I volunteer to be the guardian of the Tesseract!"

Everyone in the room stared at her in disbelief.

Loki chuckled nervously. "Sigyn, my dear, you're not serious, are you?"

But Sif must have realized she was serious. "Why?" she asked.

_Because this is my only chance to be a warrior. Because even after all this time, I still cannot look you in the eye without thinking of my greatest shame._ She was almost a thousand years old now, and she still looked… young. She felt young. None of the healers expected her to die of old age in the foreseeable future. Sigyn had inherited her mother's weaknesses, but she had also inherited some of her father's strength. In Asgard, she was a weakling, but in Midgard, she could be a true warrior. A goddess among mortals…

"Sigyn," Odin said softly. "If you become the guardian of the Tesseract, you are going to spend the rest of your days in Midgard."

"I'm well aware of that, Allfather. But as the only half-mortal, half-Asgardian in the universe, I think I have always been meant for such duty."

He thought for a moment. "Perhaps you are right. After all, you understand mortals better than any of us here do."

"Father," Loki started, but Odin silenced him, too.

"This is not a decision to be taken lightly," Queen Frigga broke in. "Odin, I say we give her at least a fortnight to consider. In the meantime, Heimdall can teach her what this duty entails."

Odin nodded in agreement.

"As you wish, my queen," Sigyn said, but she knew her decision would remain the same by the end of this fortnight.

…

The following days felt like an eternity to Sigyn. Her family and friends never stopped trying to talk her out of this decision. Even Hogun had become uncharacteristically talkative. Their intentions were good, she knew. But none of them understood her struggles. All her life, she had tried so hard to be a good daughter, good sister, good sorceress, and a good wife. But for her, the only way to be good was to be nothing. No one. Serving Asgard among mortals was the only way her life could have a meaning. It wasn't something the others could understand. So, she often sought sanctuary in Heimdall's Observatory, listening to his lessons on Midgard.

Heimdall had never said if he approved her decision of becoming the guardian of the Tesseract or not. To be truthful, Sigyn often felt guilty in his presence. After Loki and Sigyn's wedding, Odin had asked Heimdall why he hadn't been able to see what had happened to Theoric. Heimdall had said he didn't know. That like everyone else, he had thought Sigyn was marrying Theoric until Loki had revealed himself. Loki had simply said Heimdall should have paid more attention to what was happening in Asgard, but Sigyn knew the truth. Loki had discovered an ancient tome in the libraries, a tome that showed how to conceal things from the Gatekeeper. It also showed the locations of secret pathways between the realms. Loki had shared this knowledge with her, saying that they were one soul now and there should be no secrets between them. Sigyn wished he hadn't. Keeping a secret like this from Heimdall felt like treason. But it was also her duty to keep her husband's secrets. At least she was confident Loki wouldn't use this knowledge to betray Asgard. Sometimes he was envious of Thor, yes, but he still loved his brother more dearly than anybody else.

"The cube has been found once again," Heimdall said. "This time, by a young mortal named Howard Stark. As noble as his intentions may be, his arrogance reminds me of the other one. My lady, as the guardian of the Tesseract, it is your duty to ensure that he will not abuse this power."

"What can you tell me about this mortal, Howard Stark?"

"Howard Stark was born to a fruitmonger, Walter Stark. But he was much cleverer than his father. His genius earned him a fortune, made him a respectable and influential man."

"You said he reminded you of the Red Skull. Why?"

"Because he is no man of honor. He does not hesitate to lie or cheat when he deems necessary. His arrogance and carnality know no bounds."

Sigyn's face wrinkled in disgust. "Such a man doesn't deserve to have the Tesseract."

"That will be for you to decide, as its guardian. You may test the Walterson as you see fit. But I advise you not to be hasty. He might yet surprise you."

"I doubt that."

For some reason, he smiled. "Do you remember what I taught you about the SSR?"

"The Strategic Scientific Reserve? The organization that fought against HYDRA?"

"Howard Stark worked for them for a time, even helped them create their greatest warrior against the Red Skull."

"Captain Steve Rogers," she said, recalling their former lessons.

"Yes. Now, Howard Stark founded another organization. They call it SHIELD."

"Why? Was SSR not good enough?"

"Not for Howard Stark. SSR played a crucial role in their war, but now, that war is over. The Walterson wishes to build something more… permanent, to protect the realm from unforeseeable threats."

"So, he does care about his people," she said, confused.

"As I said, he might yet surprise you. The Allfather thinks SHIELD is ready to know of our existence, unlike the rest of Midgard. But be careful, my lady. These mortals are different. Once you tell them who you are, they will not worship you as a goddess."

"But I'm still much stronger than mortals, right?"

"Yes."

"Then I have nothing to fear."

"If you say so…"

Sigyn felt like there were things Heimdall wasn't telling her about Midgard. It didn't make any sense. She was going there to guard the Tesseract; wasn't she supposed to be prepared for anything? Still, she decided not to ask. Perhaps he was just obeying Odin's orders.

…

No matter how bothersome they were, Sigyn spent her last day in Asgard with her family and friends. And her last night with Loki. Though after he fell asleep, she snuck out of their bedchambers and set off to the dungeons. She didn't know why, but she wanted to see Lorelei.

Unlike most dungeons, the dungeons of Asgard were quite civilized. The cells were clean and well-lit. The prisoners were fed twice a day. Most prisoners shared their cells with others, but an exception had been made for Lorelei, in case she found a way to break free from her collar. Or, so had Sigyn been told. She had never visited her in the past five hundred years.

The guards gave Sigyn a curious look, but didn't ask any questions. She didn't tell them anything either. She went to see Lorelei in her cold, dark cell. Her arms had been shackled to a wall. The collar hid the lower half her face, but Sigyn could see that she was wearing a curious expression. Curious, _and_ angry.

"You know, Loki thinks death is too good for you. Too quick. And he is probably right. Still, I want to kill you. In fact, you might be the only thing I actually want to kill in the whole universe. That's quite ironic, when I think about it. I wanted to be a warrior so badly, yet I never wanted to kill anyone, not really, not until that fateful day in Nornheim... You probably wonder why I came here after all this time. Do you even know how much time has passed? It's been five hundred and thirty-seven years, Lorelei. You've been here for five hundred and thirty-seven years. And as you can see, I haven't even aged a day. You were hoping I'd be dead by now, weren't you?"

Sigyn looked at her with a triumphant smile. Now she knew what had brought her here: The desire to destroy every bit of thought that might still help Lorelei find some satisfaction in this horrible place. She decided to become even crueler. After all, she would never get another chance to do this.

"Sif would never forgive me if I told her this, but I think by killing Haldor, you set her free. She never loved Haldor. Not the way she loves Thor, at least. Now she can be the Queen of Asgard one day. And I've finally found a way to become a great warrior. You never thought I could do that, did you? Well, I just have. I'll be living as an honorable Asgardian while you rot here. I wanted you to know that. Now you do."

She decided that Lorelei didn't have to know the details. If she found out Sigyn had to leave Asgard in order to become a great warrior, she would be delighted. Sigyn wasn't going to give her the pleasure. As for the part about Sif, that wasn't entirely true either. Sif had almost sworn herself off after Haldor's death. And eventually, Thor had stopped making advances to her. He no longer seemed to be interested in Sif.

Sigyn looked at the seductress one last time, and left the dungeons.

The bed was empty by the time she returned to the bedchambers. Suddenly, she heard someone clapping hands, and when she turned around, she found Loki, leaning against a wall and applauding.

"Loki? When did you wake up?"

"I never fell asleep."

Right. She should have known.

"You went to see Lorelei, didn't you?"

"What makes you think so?"

"Come on, Sigyn. You're my wife. I know you better than anyone else."

"Yes. I did."

"By choosing this self-imposed exile, you actually let her win. You know that, right?"

"This is not an exile, Loki! And it has nothing to do with Lorelei! This is my only chance to go to Valhalla!"

He nodded angrily. "Yes, Valhalla…"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, of course not. It's just, my wife chooses some glorified afterlife over me. That's not hurtful at all."

"Loki, I'm not choosing anything over you. I'm still your wife."

"Why are you so obsessed with Valhalla, anyway? We still have thousands of years to live."

"No, _you _still have thousands of years to live. Nothing is certain when it comes to me. For all I know, I might wake up one morning and find myself gray and wrinkled. I'm doing this for us, don't you see it? I'm trying to be a great warrior so that we can have an eternity together!"

"And what makes you think a trickster like me will be allowed into Valhalla?"

"What? Loki, don't be ridiculous. Your mother said magic is not a dishonorable weapon, remember?"

"I'm not talking about magic."

"What, then?"

"What if I do something _truly_ dishonorable one day?"

"Like what?"

"Like not letting Thor become the King of Asgard."

Sigyn laughed. "You'd never hurt Thor. You love him."

"But what if—"

"Stop it, Loki. You're just trying to manipulate me. Please. You disrespected my choice once, and I forgave you. But I will not do that again. This time, you shall show me respect."

"Of course. I'll respect your choice to ruin your life. And our marriage." He stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, her father, sister, Thor, Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and even Queen Frigga all came to the Observatory to bid Sigyn farewell. Loki was the only one missing. Sigyn hadn't seen him since last night. It was alright, though. One day he would understand. And they could always use projections to communicate when, or if, he decided to reconcile. She would like to hope he would.

Heimdall had said Howard Stark was currently in a city called Los Angeles. The Bifrost was going to deliver her to a desolate area where no one could witness her arrival. She was going to have to walk to the city from there.

"Ready? "Heimdall asked.

Sigyn nodded, and gave everyone one last glace before Heimdall opened the Bifrost.

After a few seconds in the rainbow bridge, she was standing on Midgardian soil. Indeed, there was no one around. She started walking. Heimdall had told her that she needed to go west to reach Los Angeles. If only she had been allowed to bring her horse… or a ship. According to Heimdall, mortals didn't use horses to travel anymore, but they weren't ready to behold the sight of an otherworldly ship either. Traveling on foot was the only option she had. Well, she knew this duty wasn't going to be easy. She couldn't let such a minor inconvenience dishearten her.

Sigyn wouldn't get exhausted easily simply by walking, but soon, the scorching heat turned the march into a challenge. If she closed her eyes, she could even believe Heimdall had accidentally sent her to Muspelheim instead. It wasn't something Sigyn had expected. Her mother would often describe her home as a land of cold and ice. Sigyn had visited her village several times, and seen that she was right. It turned out Los Angeles was very different from Tonsberg. When she finally saw the buildings in the distance, she realized she was about to reach her destination. She had to ask a few people where Howard Stark lived. They pointed her in the right direction, but Sigyn didn't understand why they were giving her such odd looks. Yes, here, she was clearly the only one wearing an armor and carrying a sword and a shield right now, but like Asgardians, mortals had their own warriors among them. Why did these people not seem to be used to the sight of one?

Howard Stark's house wasn't what she had expected it to be either. Heimdall had said he was one of the wealthiest and most influential mortals in the realm. Sigyn had thought such a person would live in a palace or castle. But this was just a… house. The biggest one in this area, yes, but only a house. Nevertheless, she knocked on the door.

A tall, lean man with a clean-shaven face and his short hair combed to one side answered. She had concluded that mortal men wore their hair short. She hadn't seen one with braids or a warrior's tail so far. Their clothes didn't make much sense to her either, so she couldn't tell if this man before her was well-dressed or not.

"Good afternoon, miss. How may I help you?"

"Are you Howard Stark?"

"I—I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Lady Sigyn Tyrsdottir of Asgard. I'd like to speak with Howard Stark."

The man looked at her as if she had just said the most preposterous thing he had ever heard. Then he said, "I'm afraid Mr. Stark is quite busy right now. Good day."

He was going to close the door to her face, but Sigyn stopped him. Her strength seemed to have surprised this mortal man, and that gave her a confidence she had never felt before. "This is about the Tesseract," she said sharply.

A look of understanding crossed his face. He opened the door again, let her in, and led her into a hall in a wary attitude. Sigyn assumed this man was some sort of servant. Of course. She should have known. In every realm, wealthy people had servants. It was a universal rule, it appeared.

"Please wait here," the servant said and walked out of sight.

Sigyn looked around, hoping to find some water. She was so thirsty that her throat had begun to hurt. Unfortunately, there was no water in sight. Again, the interior of the house was much humbler than she had expected, but perhaps this was the best Midgard had to offer.

At least the servant didn't keep her waiting for long. "Mr. Stark will see you now. This way, please."

This time, he led her into some kind of courtyard full of half-naked women. Some were walking around, or sitting, sipping their drinks, or swimming in the pool that was in the middle of the courtyard. Despite the overwhelming thirst, Sigyn was so disgusted by the sight that neither the pool nor the drinks tempted her. She quickly spotted the only other man. He, too, was half-naked, but at least he was wearing an unfastened, long, brown robe. He was sitting in a chair, and staring at her, with a glass that had been filled with an amber-colored liquid. His short hair was unkempt, and he had a mustache. In fact, she had seen a portrait of his back in that hall.

She walked up to him. "Howard Stark?"

"In the flesh. And you are…"

"Lady Sigyn of Asgard. I know you're in possession of the Tesseract, but you're meddling with forces that are beyond your—"

"Whoa, slow down. Slow down. Tell me, who sent you here? Joe? Tim? Anton?"

"Odin Allfather, the King of Asgard and Protector of the Nine Realms."

Like his servant, Howard Stark, too, looked at her like she had just said the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard, but he seemed rather entertained. He laughed, and got on his feet, then eyed her from head to toe, like she was a piece of meat he was considering to buy. Sigyn had come here to find respect and valor, but the truth was, she had never felt so insulted before.

"Alright, whatever this is about, it can surely wait. Why don't we… have some fun first, before I ask you how you even _know_ about the Tesseract?"

He was trying to be seductive, but it only infuriated her even more. "I didn't come all the way to Midgard to be one of your concubines, Walterson! I'm here as the guardian of the cube!"

"Perhaps I could change your mind…"

"I'm married!"

"Well, that never stopped me before," he said, put an arm around her waist, and tried to pull her closer.

She had had enough. "How dare you!" she snarled, and shoved him away with all the strength she had, sending him flying off into the pool. The concubines screamed and scattered around in panic, and the servant exclaimed, "Sir!"

"Get your hands up!"

Sigyn turned around, only to see a brunette woman pointing a primitive-looking weapon at her. Unlike the others, she was fully dressed, and she didn't seem scared at all. A warrior, obviously.

"Get your hands up!" she repeated firmly. "I'm not going to ask again."

"I don't take orders from mortals."

"What?" she asked, visibly offended, but didn't put the gun down.

Sigyn was going to have to prove her point, then. She drew her sword, but the other woman didn't even hesitate. She squeezed the trigger. There was an explosive noise, and Sigyn immediately felt a searing pain in her right leg. Warm blood was oozing from a hole in her right calf, where she had been shot.

_Damn_. So, Midgardian weapons could harm her, after all… She had made a terrible mistake. Panicked, she wanted to get away from her opponent. She forced her wounded leg to move, but she was in too much agony. She collapsed on the floor, and tried to crawl this time, but darkness claimed her before she could even put one arm in front of the other.

…

"_Could she be one of them?"_ Sigyn heard Howard Stark's servant ask. _"If the Russians found a way to replicate Doctor Erskine's formula…"_

"_I don't think she was trained at the Red Room,"_ the woman said.

"_Why not?"_

"_If she were one of them, she would've seduced Howard. This one tried to kill him."_

"_Right. She wasn't exactly being subtle,"_ Howard Stark agreed.

"_But then, maybe they've changed tactics."_

"_Perhaps we could ask Miss Underwood?" _the servant suggested.

"_And give her a possible ally? No!"_ Although this was the Walterson's property, this woman was obviously had a certain authority over them. Sigyn wondered who she was. Heimdall hadn't said anything about such a woman.

"_Look at this sword,"_ she went on. _"What were you even thinking when you let her in, Mr. Jarvis? You should've called me immediately!"_

"_I was thinking Mr. Stark's tendency to add theatrical elements to his romantic endeavors might have gotten out of control."_

"_Well, who can blame you for that?"_

"_Speaking of, I'd like to take a closer look to that armor. Maybe we can take a—"_

"_Oh, for God's sake, Howard!"_

"_For scientific purposes,"_ he defended himself. _"If it's anything like that sword… I mean, the molecular density of the material is—"_

"_Russian assassin or not, I'm not going to let you strip a woman naked for your 'experiments.'"_

"_I wasn't going to ask you to strip her naked. I just need a sample from the fabric and the metal."_

"_Shut up… Walterson."_ She chuckled.

"_Don't call me that, Peg. Ever."_

Sigyn decided that she had heard enough, so she opened her eyes. She had been shackled to a bed, but that wasn't going to be a problem. The pain in her leg had reduced to a throbbing. She quickly conjured an illusion to make the mortals think that she was still in the bed, cloaked her true form invisible, and went to stand behind them. They didn't even notice her limping past them.

"Good, you're awake," the woman said sharply.

"You shot me," Sigyn spoke through her projection in the bed.

"You tried to kill my friend."

"He insulted me."

"And do you go about killing anyone who insults you?"

_If I did, half of Asgard would be dead by now_, she thought. "I only wanted to talk to him."

"So, you want to talk, then? Good. Let's talk. First question: Who are you?"

"I already told you who I am."

"This time, you're going to have to be more specific."

"I'm Lady Sigyn of Asgard," she repeated. "Daughter of General Tyr, and wife of Loki Odinson. I don't know how I can be any more specific than this."

"Alright, where is this Asgard?"

"Wait, do you mean you don't remember the myths?"

"What myths?"

"Your ancestors used to worship Asgardians as gods once. I knew you didn't expect us to be real, but I thought mortals still remembered those tales."

"Miss Carter, I believe she's referring to Norse mythology," Mr. Jarvis said.

They all exchanged confused looks. Then Howard Stark narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Are you HYDRA?" he asked all of a sudden. He wasn't wooing her anymore.

"What makes you think she's HYDRA?" Miss Carter asked him.

"Do you remember who else was obsessed with those Pagan myths? The Red Skull. Come on, Peggy. You know his file better than I do. He was trying to be a god."

"Do you believe me to be a disciple of the Red Skull?" Sigyn asked him.

"Exactly."

Peggy Carter raised a hand. "Wait, you do know who the Red Skull is," she observed.

"Of course I do. Johann Schmidt, the leader of HYDRA. He wanted to use the Tesseract to wreak havoc in your world. Why do you think Odin sent me here? To ensure the safety of the Tesseract and not let anyone abuse its power again."

"If Odin is so mighty, why didn't he come here and take the Tesseract for himself?"

"The Tesseract _is_ his. When I was a child, it used to be kept in Odin's Vault. Then he decided to hide it in Midgard instead. He thought it would be safer here, and no mortal would dare use it."

"And I thought we lived in a democracy," Howard Stark scoffed. "Darling, tell your king that Earth is not his personal bank vault. Or anyone's."

"So, do you believe her?" Peggy Carter asked.

"I do, actually. The Red Skull was right about the Tesseract. What if he was also right about everything else?"

"And is this your brain talking, or… another part of you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Peg. This is SHIELD business. You know how seriously I take SHIELD."

"You still think I'm of the Red Room, whatever that is," Sigyn calmly told Peggy Carter, glad that the conversation had finally taken a more civilized turn. "But I'm not."

"Can you prove it?"

"I believe I can." She dismissed the illusion in the bed and revealed her true self. They all looked at her with a mixture of awe and wariness. "Is this something one can learn at the Red Room?"

"Certainly not," Peggy Carter mumbled.

"Next time you restrain a sorceress, use enchanted shackles… As you can see, Peggy Carter, if I wanted you or your friends dead, you'd be dead by now. I'm not an enemy."

No one spoke for a while. The silence was only broken when Sigyn had to wince in pain. She shouldn't have been standing on her feet for too long with that wound. When she looked down, she realized the dressing had been soaked in blood.

"You popped your stitches," Howard Stark said. "Get back in that bed, let me take a look at that wound."

"I won't let you lay a finger on me, Walterson!"

"Why do you keep calling me 'Walterson'?"

"Wasn't your father's name Walter?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, but… Look, just call me Howard. 'Howard' is fine."

"As you wish," she said, and then turned to Peggy Carter.

"Peggy," she said.

"Edwin Jarvis, at your service," the servant said.

"Sigyn," she told them, and sat in the nearest chair. "I'll cast a healing spell. It will take several days for such a deep wound to heal, but at least the bleeding will stop."

"Good," Howard said. "Frankly, I was more worried about the carpet. It's Persian."

"I don't know what that means."

"That means it's worth more than you are. Though an alien would probably worth a fortune in the black market…"

"Are you threatening to sell me into slavery now?"

"Relax, slavery was abolished more than 80 years ago… Peggy, a word?" Howard asked. He and Peggy left the room. Sigyn didn't ask where they were going. She focused on her healing spell instead.

"Oh," Mr. Jarvis exclaimed softly when he saw a flash of golden light. "Impressive."

"Mr. Jarvis, can I have some water, please?" she asked when she recalled how thirsty she was.

"Of course." He fetched her a glass, and a jug full of water.

Sigyn drained the glass in three gulps. Without a word, Jarvis refilled it. After the fourth glass, she was feeling much better.

"You're Howard's servant, aren't you? Are you the only one?"

"I'm his butler," he corrected her.

"What's the difference?"

He smiled. "You're not very familiar with our world, are you, my lady?"

"I will be, in time. This is my first day here. I'm sure you'll understand, Mr. Jarvis. You seem… adaptable."

"My time as a butler to Mr. Stark has taught me to keep an open mind. Is there anything else you need? Perhaps you'd like something to eat?"

"Did Howard tell you to poison the food?" she asked, but she was merely jesting now.

"Of course not. I can personally assure you that Mr. Stark's hospitality is impeccable."

"Then a meal would be most welcome." Indeed, she was starving.

"I'll be back in a jiffy."

Sigyn busied himself studying the bedchamber until Mr. Jarvis returned with her meal. To be honest, the meat smelled great.

"I hope you like steak," he said, then in a small voice, added, "Or, at least know what steak is…"

She laughed. "I know what steak is, Mr. Jarvis, don't fret." She then pointed at the portrait of Howard on the wall. "That portrait… I thought I saw another one in the entrance hall."

"I'm sure you did, my lady."

"How many portraits does he have?"

"There is a portrait in every room of the house. Each one is different, though. It's a collection."

She opened her mouth to say something, but then realized she was at a loss for words. Who could have known that the most arrogant being the Nine Realms had ever seen was here, in Midgard? She heaved a sigh, wondering for how many decades she was going to have to tolerate Howard Stark. Perhaps this was how the universe was punishing Sigyn for abandoning her loved ones.

…

Although she had gone to sleep with a full belly, Sigyn was famished again when she woke up the next morning. She had been given a silk nightgown, and a robe, so at least she hadn't had to sleep in her tunic and breeches. Still, she wanted to be in her armor while she had to be around Howard, so she put it back on before heading out of the bedchamber. Mr. Jarvis had said fresh fruit and scones were served every morning. She didn't know what "scones" were, but she was too hungry to care right now.

It didn't take long for her to find the dining hall. Well, it wasn't big enough to be a "hall," compared to the great dining hall of the Asgardian royal palace, where hundreds of people could feast together. "Room" would be a more appropriate term. Howard Stark was sitting at the table by himself, both reading a book and eating.

"Good morning," he said curtly, without even looking at her.

"Good morning," Sigyn replied, and took the seat across from him. "Where's Peggy?"

"She's returned to New York. She had to take care of some… things. Family things. Left me here with a crazy space Viking."

She smirked dangerously. "As I recall, you were quite eager to spend more time with me yesterday…"

"That was before you nearly killed me!"

Mr. Jarvis entered the room, carrying two plates in his hands. One was full of fruit, the other small, round pastries. Sigyn assumed they were what mortals called "scones."

"Good morning, Lady Sigyn," he said, placing the plates on the table for her, then he fetched a pot. "Tea?"

"Yes, please," she said, and turned to Howard. "New York?"

"It's the greatest city on this planet. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. Jarvis will take you there tomorrow."

"Why must I go to New York?"

"I thought you wanted to be closer to the Tesseract," he said, as if he was stating something obvious. "We keep it in a SHIELD facility in New York."

"What about you? Are you not coming?"

"I will join you later. Unfortunately, SHIELD is not the only establishment that demands my attention. Do you know of Stark Industries?"

"You're a merchant, I know."

He put the book down and raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm a businessman."

"But you invent things, and sell them."

"Yes?"

"That makes you a merchant."

"We need to work on your vocabulary if you're planning to stick around here," he muttered, and returned to his book.

"I've sworn an oath to guard the Tesseract with my life. I'm not going anywhere." Much to her surprise, Howard made no reply.

Sigyn took a sip from her tea, and started eating her breakfast. _These are delicious_, she thought to herself. To be honest, Midgardian food was much better than she had expected it to be. At some point, Howard snapped his fingers twice, and Mr. Jarvis, who had been obediently waiting in a corner, came to pour him more tea.

"Good gracious!" he exclaimed all of a sudden. "Is it true that your husband gave birth to an eight-legged horse?"

Mr. Jarvis' eyes widened. "That sounds immensely painful… and disturbing."

"What?" Sigyn cried in disbelief. "Odin has an eight-legged horse, true, but Loki didn't give birth to him, of course. How do you even know of that jest?"

He waved the book at her. "I'm reading your biography, darling."

She shook her head. "Did mortals really believe that? Yes, Loki can cast the most realistic illusions, after Queen Frigga's, of course, but that doesn't make him an actual shape-shifter!"

"Loki… He's the God of Mischief, right? And you said your father's name was Tyr. The God of War. So, what are you the goddess of? Fidelity?"

"Is that what they say about me?" she asked, now feeling a bit proud.

"Yes."

"We don't see ourselves as gods and goddesses, but I'd be honored to be known as the Goddess of Fidelity."

"Well, that sounds… boring."

"I don't expect you to understand, Howard. You seem incapable of devotion."

"And you seem to have quite an appetite for someone… so small."

Sigyn froze. She wasn't eating more than she usually did, but no one had told her she had "quite an appetite" before. On the contrary, she ate very little compared to other Asgardians. "You should see my friend, Volstagg, then."

"It's probably because your metabolism burns faster… Jarvis, I'm going out. You stay here, and keep an eye on my… guest, will you?"

"As you wish, sir."

When Howard stood up, a pained wince escaped his mouth, and he placed a hand on the small of his back.

"Mr. Stark?"

"I'm alright," he said, but he sucked in a sharp breath as he straightened himself up. Sigyn wasn't sure why, but suddenly, she felt a slight remorse for what she had done to him yesterday.

"Let me." She got on her feet and approached him, but Howard actually flinched when she extended her hands.

"Can you please _not_ do anything awful for five seconds?"

"I'm not doing anything awful, I just want to cast a healing spell. The same one I used on myself. It will ease your pain."

"Why?"

"Consider it a peace offering."

"Very well. Go ahead. Let's see what you got."

Sigyn put a hand on his back and recited the ancient words.

"Oh, wow… I feel better, indeed."

"I told you, didn't I?"

"Thanks, I suppose," he said reluctantly, and walked out of the room.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks everyone who has reviewed so far. The second and third installments never got the response I'd expected, so every single review means a lot to me. Just a quick reminder, I hate abandoning my stories, so I always pre-write them before start posting. I'm still working on the last two chapters and I will probably squeeze in another chapter after watching _Captain Marvel_, but other than that, this fic is completed, I just post the chapters after one last grammar/spell check. Also, dear Guest, I'm sorry you didn't like Sigyn in the first story, but perhaps this one helps you like her more.**


	6. Chapter 6

Mr. Jarvis had said she was not allowed to enter Howard's laboratory, but other than that, Sigyn was free to explore the mansion, so she did. Almost everything she saw seemed… odd to her. Also, the women she had seen here yesterday were now nowhere to be seen. When she entered the courtyard with the pool, she found Mr. Jarvis trying to lift a metal bar with two discs attached to either end. He grunted loudly, so Sigyn assumed he was struggling to pick it up, and ran up to him to help. He was already holding the thing above his head by the time she reached him.

"Mr. Jarvis, let me help you!"

"No need for that, Lady Sigyn," he said, and dropped the bar.

"What are you doing? And what happened to your clothes?" He had been dressed like those half-naked women.

"Nothing happened to my clothes. This is my athletic wear. Do Asgardians not have a regimen of physical fitness routine?"

"We usually train with weapons. Not with these…"

"Barbells. I heartily recommend them for an effective strength training."

"Barbells," she repeated, looking around, and spotted a weapons rack on her left. Finally, something familiar… There were staffs, and rapiers. She grabbed one of the latter.

"Are you a swordsman, too?" she asked, surprised.

"I'm a fencer. Before you ask, fencing is a gentleman's pursuit, and my hobby."

"I have a friend who prefers rapiers, Fandral. In some ways, Howard reminds me of him, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes. Only, Fandral is a great warrior, and has the grace to stay away from married women, at least… You seem like an honorable man, Mr. Jarvis. Like someone who wouldn't approve of things Howard do. Why did you choose to serve him?"

"I owe him a debt."

"What sort of debt?"

"A debt of gratitude. Perhaps one they I'll tell you all about it."

"If Howard Stark was able to evoke gratitude in someone like you, I'm sure that's a fascinating story."

He smiled, but made no reply.

"What is it, Mr. Jarvis?"

"Nothing, my lady. It's just… I have a feeling that your story with Mr. Stark will turn out to be even more fascinating than mine."

…

The next day, Mr. Jarvis took her to a hangar, a place where Howard apparently kept his vehicles. Sigyn had assumed they would travel by land, and was quite astonished to see that mortals, too, now had flying ships. They seemed so primitive, though. When she shared her concerns with Mr. Jarvis, he said these were the safest planes in the world, for they had been designed by Howard Stark himself. She wasn't sure if that was supposed to make her feel better.

They were also slow. Mr. Jarvis had said the journey would take approximately 12 hours. _I should have brought a ship from Asgard_, she thought, but there wasn't much she could do about it now, so she decided to while away this journey by studying a map of Midgard Mr. Jarvis had provided her with. Before coming here, she had thought Heimdall had taught her everything she needed to know about this realm. She couldn't have been more wrong. She studied the borders, the names of the countries and cities. She knew her mother's village, Tonsberg, was in a country named Norway, but there were so many others. Mr. Jarvis was happy to answer any questions she had, but even he didn't seem to know why mortals drew so many borders and had so many rulers. In other realms, everyone was content to be ruled by one king or queen. Midgard, on the other hand, was much more diverse than she had thought. Soon, she decided that she actually liked this. In Midgard, anyone could find a place where they could fit in. It had to be good to have options.

Once their plane landed—there was another hangar that belonged to Howard in New York—she followed Mr. Jarvis into a car, and they went to another big house. Sigyn didn't know what was so great about this city, but most buildings were taller than the ones in Los Angeles and more importantly, the cooler climate was a welcome change.

"My wife is most eager to meet you," he suddenly said as they climbed out of the vehicle.

"Your wife? I didn't know you were married, Mr. Jarvis."

"Edwin!" A red-haired radiant woman in a flower dress opened the front door. "Welcome home!"

"Hello, darling. You look gorgeous, as always."

"Thank you!"

They shared a passionate kiss, and in that brief moment, Sigyn concluded even a blind man could see how deeply they were in love. She thought of Loki. Was he still angry with her?

They turned to her. "Ana, this is Lady Sigyn of Asgard. Lady Sigyn, this my wife, Ana."

"Hello," Ana said and flung her arms around Sigyn. Not knowing what else to do, Sigyn hugged her back. Mr. Jarvis shot her an apologetic look, but Sigyn smiled to let him know that it was alright. In fact, Ana was the friendliest mortal she had met so far. Sigyn just had been caught unprepared.

Ana released her, and studied her from head to toe. "You're not what I imagined!"

"What did you imagine?"

"I don't know, someone with antennas and webbed hands, perhaps. Edwin said you came from space!"

"Well, I'm an Asgardian. But there are creatures who fit that description in other parts of the universe."

"Oh, you must have had so many adventures! I can't wait to hear all of them… Come inside, you two must be starving." She led them into a dining room, and as soon as they sat down at the table, started serving food. The smell of beef filled the air quickly.

"What is this? It smells delicious."

"Goulash," Mr. Jarvis explained. "It's a traditional Hungarian dish. Ana is Hungarian."

"Hungary," Sigyn recalled. "It's in Europe, right?"

"You're a quick study, Lady Sigyn."

"So, you're from Hungary. And you're from England… How did you two meet?"

The husband and wife looked at each other and smiled. "Why do you think Edwin is so loyal to Mr. Stark?" Ana asked.

"Does this have anything to do with that fascinating story about your debt of gratitude to Howard, Mr. Jarvis?"

"It does, indeed," he replied, but clearly it was all he was going to tell her.

Sigyn took a spoonful of goulash into her mouth, and decided that it tasted as good as it smelled. In the meantime, Ana had started asking her husband questions about Howard's business. Sigyn decided to pay more attention to their conversation so that she could learn even more about Midgard. Soon, she found out Howard preferred to live in New York, but had been in Los Angeles for an important event called "the Academy Awards," and was expected to give a presentation in Washington DC after that.

Then Mr. Jarvis asked Ana how she had been doing during his absence. Sigyn learned that Ana loved cooking, taking care of their pet dog, Benny, and had recently started taking classes in sculpting.

"Are you an artist?" Sigyn asked, intrigued. After warriors, artists were the second most respected group in Asgard.

"I like being creative," Ana replied. "Be it drawing, painting, sculpting, cooking, sewing, or knitting. I used to work in a tailor shop in Hungary."

"Which is most fortunate, because Mr. Stark and Miss Carter say Lady Sigyn will need a less conspicuous wardrobe," Mr. Jarvis broke in.

"Is my armor too conspicuous? I thought mortals wore armor."

"Well, not anymore."

"No need to trouble your wife, Mr. Jarvis," she said, and in a flash of green light, she turned her armor into one of the dresses she had seen on mortal women.

Ana squealed cheerfully, and clapped her hands. "Oh, that's wonderful! Can you teach me how to do that?"

She decided to be honest with her. "I'd love to, but this spell requires at least three decades of practice."

"I see," she huffed, but much to Sigyn's relief, she didn't seem too disappointed.

"Besides, it's not like I can conjure new clothes out of thin air. This is merely an illusion; it is still my armor."

"What about your sword?" Mr. Jarvis asked. "Perhaps you could make it look like an umbrella? And your shield a purse?"

"That's not necessary. Every sorcerer and sorceress has a personal pocket dimension to hide their belongings. I can hide my sword and shield there and summon them immediately when needed."

"Delightful," Mr. Jarvis said with relief, as if he had just resolved a troublesome matter.

"Still, you're going to need an actual wardrobe," Ana insisted. "This is going to be so much fun!"

Sigyn concluded that Ana Jarvis didn't want to miss any opportunity to get creative, and thanked her politely. After dinner, Ana showed Sigyn to the room where she would be staying. Sigyn still had so many questions, but decided to give this newly reunited couple some privacy. She changed into a nightgown and slipped into the bed, but sleep didn't come easily. She spent most of the night lying awake.

Her third night in Midgard. It would get easier, she knew. But right now, she missed her sister, father, friends, and Queen Frigga terribly. But most of all, she missed Loki.

…

Mr. Jarvis was quite busy, so now it was up to his wife to educate her in the Midgardian ways and help her adapt. The two women quickly warmed up to each other. The Jarvises' puppy, Benny, seemed to like Sigyn as well. She loved watching Ana train him. This morning, for example, Ana was trying to teach him to play fetch in the garden.

"Good boy!" Ana exclaimed when the little beast finally took the stick she had thrown at him and brought it back.

Sigyn chuckled. "He's adorable. Does his name have meaning?" It wasn't uncommon in Asgard to give pets and mounts names, but those names usually had a significance.

"We named him for Benny Goodman."

"Benny Goodman? The musician?" she recalled. The Jarvises listened to his radio show every evening. Sigyn had no idea why mortals loved sitting in front of a box and listen to strangers they couldn't even see, but it was one of their favorite activities.

Ana tossed the stick again. Benny went after it. "He's a Bernese mountain dog. Edwin had promised me to get one after…" her voice suddenly trailed off.

"After what?"

"After I got shot."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I had no idea. Was it an accident?" Sigyn knew that being shot wasn't a pleasant experience.

"No, it wasn't. It's alright, I'm fully recovered now. But Edwin…" She took the stick Benny had fetched. "Edwin was so scared for me. I think he still hasn't forgiven himself for what happened."

Sigyn decided not to ask her what had happened. "He loves you," she reminded her instead.

"Has he told you how we met?"

"No, but I know Howard was somehow involved."

"We met in Budapest. Edwin was serving under a general in the British Armed Forces, and as you know, I was working in a hotel tailor shop. One day I sold him a tie, and we were in love before we knew it. But then the war broke out, and Hungary allied with the Nazis. And they… Let's just say they didn't approve of my kind."

"Your kind? Aren't you a mortal, like everyone else here?"

"I'm Jewish."

"What does that mean?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "Judaism is a different religion…"

"So, they wanted to kill you because you worship a different deity?" she asked in horror.

"I wouldn't say a different deity, but… Look, it's not just about religion. I honestly don't know how to explain it to someone like you, I'm sorry."

"No, I think I understand. They didn't tolerate difference. Believe me, it's something they have in common with Asgardians. When I first came here, I thought it was a good sign that you had more diversity than we did, but perhaps I was too optimistic. Anyway, what happened to you and Mr. Jarvis?"

"The general Edwin served could have granted me safe passage out of the country, but he refused. So, Edwin forged his signature. The general found out, of course, and if it hadn't been for Mr. Stark, Edwin would've been executed for treason. Even Mr. Stark couldn't do anything about the dishonorable discharge, though. But he hired Edwin as his butler, and here we are."

"So, Howard saved your lives. Why? What did he want from you in return?"

The question seemed to have confused her. "Nothing. He did it because Edwin was his friend. So, how did you and your husband meet? His name was Loki, right?"

"We didn't _meet_. We grew up together."

"Oh, that must have been so romantic!"

"Ana!" a familiar voice interrupted them.

Ana smiled when she saw Peggy. "Peggy! It's so good to see you here!"

The two women hugged each other. Then Benny jumped on Peggy to greet her. She went down to one knee and scratched his ears while her eyes darted between Ana and Sigyn. "Mr. Jarvis says you two have been getting along well…"

"It's not everyday you get to enjoy the company of an alien. Would you like to come inside? I'll make tea, and—"

"Thank you, dear, but no. I came here for Sigyn. I'm going to take her to SHIELD."

"Duty calls, I believe," Sigyn sighed, and followed Peggy into her car.

The SHIELD facility was disguised as the building of a telephone company. Peggy said it used to be an SSR office in the past. They went through many doors, and finally came to some kind of vault. The Tesseract was being kept there, behind a glass wall.

"There it is. Are you satisfied now?"

"How many people have access to this vault?"

"This place is a Level 10, which means Howard, Colonel Philips and I are the only ones who have access."

"What about me? Do I have a… Level 10 as well?"

Peggy laughed. "What? No."

"You still think I'm your enemy, don't you?"

"Sigyn, if we thought you were enemy, we would've never left you alone with the Jarvises. But we're not going to give you access to every bit of highly classified information just because you came from above either."

"Fair enough."

"Still, we could use your expertise."

"What does that mean?"

"That means you'll be our first consultant. What do you say?"

Sigyn thought for a moment. She had come here to guard the Tesseract, but apparently, it wasn't going anywhere. The vault seemed impenetrable. And she had always wanted her mother's people to become more advanced. If she agreed to help them, then yes, this could be her life's purpose.

"I say yes."

"Great! Now, come. There's something I'd like to show you."

Peggy took her into another vault on the same underground floor. This one was much bigger though, and occupied with rows of tall shelves that stretched to the ceiling. Wooden crates filled these shelves, crates with numbers that didn't mean anything to Sigyn.

"The Tesseract wasn't the only alien artifact HYDRA experimented with. There were others they tried to weaponize, though with limited success. There's one in particular I'd like to show you. HYDRA called it the Obelisk. Howard was never able to figure out what it did. Perhaps you can tell us."

She stopped before a shelf, and opened one of the crates. Sigyn leaned closer to take a look.

"I wouldn't touch it if I were you," Peggy warned her. "It kills everyone who touches it. Petrifies, to be more specific."

"_Petrifies_? Strange…" Sigyn mumbled, looking at the small, metallic item.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Sadly, no. But the craftsmanship seems somewhat familiar."

"Could it be a weapon?"

"I'm not sure." She extended her hand above the Obelisk.

"What are you doing?" Peggy asked warily.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to touch it." This thing didn't look like a weapon. If she had to guess, she would say it was a case, and it only petrified people to protect something valuable within it. She decided to see if she could deceive it by sending "friendly" energy waves and see what was inside.

But the energy waves she sent revealed some carvings she hadn't seen in a while. Disgusted, she withdrew her hand and backed away. So, that was why the craftsmanship seemed familiar…

"Sigyn?"

"That thing is of Kree origin!" she snarled.

"Kree? What's Kree?"

"A race of cunning, ruthless, barbaric warriors. They pretend to be civilized now, but Asgard remembers what they truly are."

Peggy raised her eyebrows questioningly, but seemed to have understood the gravity of the threat. "So, what does it do?"

"I don't know, and if we're lucky, we'll never have to find out."

"Is it already 'we' now?"

Signy sighed. She hadn't told them she was half-mortal. And she probably never would. She was scared of their reaction, to be honest. But then, they would never believe her concerns for this realm to be genuine unless she told them she had roots here, too.

"Where do these… Kree reside? Are they a part of the Nine Realms?"

"Fortunately, no. They're very far from here."

"And yet, they must have been here. Why?"

"Look, Peggy, there're some… rumors, alright? These are not formally acknowledged facts, but everyone knows there is some truth to them."

"Rumors of what? An invasion?"

"Something far more disturbing. Experiments."

"Experiments?"

"Rumor has it a certain faction of Kree experimented on different species in many worlds. Yours was one of them."

"Why would they experiment on people?"

"To create soldiers with terrible powers, soldiers who would do their dirty work for them. Their government still denies it, of course, but they cannot rewrite the history."

"What kind of powers?"

"I don't know. Brute strength, elemental manipulation, invisibility, flight… The possibilities are endless."

"When was this?"

"The experiments? Thousands of years ago, long before I was born."

"So, even if they had succeeded, those enhanced humans are long gone by now. We have nothing to worry about."

"Their descendants might still be among us."

Peggy nodded gravely. "Genetic engineering… If their DNA had been altered, then you might be right."

"Perhaps we can find out," Sigyn suggested.

"How?"

"I can ask Heimdall."

"Alright. Speaking of, what are your means of communication with your handlers in Asgard?"

Sigyn chuckled. _Handlers_? And Howard thought Sigyn was the one needed to work on her vocabulary… "I don't have any_ handlers_, Peggy. Heimdall is our Gatekeeper. He has a unique gift; he can see every single soul, animal and plant in the Nine Realms. Nothing escapes his gaze. And my means of communication is… magic."

Peggy shook her head. "Magic? Why am I not surprised?"

"You still don't trust me. Allow me to show you."

She cast a projection spell. A projection of Heimdall appeared right before her, and she knew a projection of herself had appeared at his observatory in Asgard.

"Good day, Heimdall. How fares Asgard?"

"Be careful, my lady."

"Excuse me?"

"You're there as the guardian of the Tesseract, not as a consultant of SHIELD."

"I have not forgotten my duties, Heimdall. But I can help these people understand—"

"I will not tell you what you wish to know. It is something the mortals must discover themselves."

"But they're—"

"Find Howard Stark, and ask him what sort of experiments he is planning to conduct on the cube. That is the only duty the Allfather expects from you. And you cannot tell every mortal you meet who you truly are. Farewell, Lady Sigyn."

His projection disappeared. Sigyn turned to Peggy, who had been watching her with her mouth agape. Only then, she realized how unusual this must have been for a mortal.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"I am. It's just… It wasn't what I expected."

"I understand."

"Look, you don't have to be a consultant if it's going to get you into trouble. You say you don't have any handlers, but obviously there're people you answer to." Suddenly, Peggy had become much more… sympathetic.

"It's alright. I'm honored to be a consultant of SHIELD." Heimdall hadn't seemed very happy about it, but he hadn't exactly forbidden it either. "When will Howard return?"

"Tomorrow. Come, it looks like we're going to have to forge you an identity."


	7. Chapter 7

Sharon Tyler.

That would be her Midgardian name from now on. It was Peggy's idea. If anyone asked Sigyn, she would say that she was an archeologist, and an "expert" in alien artifacts. It was unusual for a Midgardian woman to become an accomplished scientist, so they had to come up with a false story for that as well: Sharon Tyler had been born in Sheffield, England. A promising young student, she was desperate to be accepted into a university, but all her applications had been rejected because she was a woman. Howard Stark had met her during his travels, seen her potential, and used his influence to get her into Harvard. Now she was going to work for SHIELD. Peggy had arranged all these within a day. Sigyn was rather impressed.

The next morning, Howard was in the mansion, indeed. Mr. Jarvis drove them to the SHIELD facility, while Howard lamented about how boring his time in Washington DC was. Some senator had kept him waiting for too long, there weren't enough pretty girls, his hotel room only have the second best view of the city… But at least he wasn't asking Sigyn weird questions about her life in Asgard, so she closed her eyes and idly listened to him complain.

At last, he observed, "You seem quiet today."

"Not everyone in the universe is obliged to keep you entertained, Howard."

"I thought you liked preaching about how you're the eternally sworn protector of Odin's cosmic cube."

"You seemed to have understood that by now. There is no need to _preach_."

They had arrived. Mr. Jarvis stopped the car in front of the phone company building, then opened the door for them.

"Thank you, Mr. Jarvis."

Howard rubbed his forehead. "Uhm, Jarvis? Is there anything I should remember today?"

"You have an appointment with Agent Sousa at eleven o'clock, sir."

"Oh, right! Daniel…"

"Anything else, sir?"

Howard said no, so Mr. Jarvis got back into the car and drove away as Sigyn and Howard entered the building.

"Who is Agent Sousa?"

"Agent Daniel Sousa. Former SSR agent, started working for SHIELD after SSR was shut down. Oh, and he's Peggy's boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Like, a paramour?"

He chuckled. "Yes. And if you meet him, don't say anything inappropriate."

"Such as?"

He leaned towards her and whispered, "Look, Daniel lost his leg in the war. I'm trying to make him a new one. One that can help him walk faster, maybe even run. That's why he's coming to my lab today."

"So, what do you want from me?"

"I don't know, just don't call him a cripple or anything when you see him."

She looked at him, offended. "What do you think I am? A savage?"

"You certainly act like one… Sometimes. Damn, I can't believe_ I_ have to teach someone manners."

Sigyn sighed. "I hate you…"

"I hate you, too."

They saw Peggy, but she seemed too busy to stop and chat with them, so they just smiled at her and kept walking. Howard wasn't taking her to the vault in the underground levels. Instead, they went to his private lab. He turned on the lights, drew all the curtains, then opened a small, secret vault behind a framed chart of elements. _The periodic table_, they called it.

"Here," he said, throwing a bunch of papers at her. "Everything I've done with the Tesseract so far. Files, my notes, blueprints…"

Midgardian science was too primitive to make sense, but still, she was able to understand the basic concepts. She wasn't sure what these contraptions were, but they were certainly not what she had been expecting to find. "No weapon designs?"

"Why do you think I use the Tesseract to design weapons?"

"The Red Skull did."

"Well, I'm not the Red Skull!"

"And I'm not a fool, Howard. I know you build instruments of death. I know you _sell _instruments of death. That's how you made your fortune."

A look of remorse, and then anger crossed his face. "I do what I have to do for the greater good."

"And what exactly is that greater good?"

"World peace."

"Instruments of death do not bring peace, Howard. That's a universal truth."

"Forget about the weapons, they're just means to an end. They bring me the money I need to pursue my true dream. If I succeed, it's going to be my life's work."

"I still don't understand."

He thought for a moment, then pointed at the light on the ceiling. "Do you see that? That's called electricity, honey. It's expensive. Our energy sources are limited. And do you know why wars are fought? They are fought over these limited resources. If I give the world unlimited energy… That's it. No more wars."

"So, you want to use the Tesseract to create a source of unlimited energy?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how to do it?"

"Not yet, but I'm close," he said, and spread one of his blueprints on the table to show her. "I've been working on a palladium core that will power a reactor. It's not exactly what I want, but if I replace the palladium with the element inside the cube—"

"What did you just say?" she cried, hoping she had misunderstood him. Otherwise, it was a madness that needed to be stopped at once.

"There's a new element inside the cube. One that is not from this world. It will take years, but if I find a way to synthesize it—"

Damn. She was right to fear. "By Odin's beard, are you insane?"

"Hey, stop shouting."

Only then, Sigyn realized how loudly she had been shouting at him. "You have no idea," she whispered in horror. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"Well, do enlighten me. Isn't that why you're here?"

"I thought you weren't ready to hear this, but you must understand. I see that now. Howard, the Tesseract contains an Infinity Stone."

"What's an Infinity Stone?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Try me."

"Before creation, there were six singularities. Space, Time, Power, Reality, Mind, and Soul. When the universe was created, these singularities were forged into the Infinity Stones. The Tesseract contains the Space Stone. Do you understand why you can't do this now? That 'element' you found is one of the keys to the creation itself. Replicating the power of an Infinity Stone… That's a line no one in the universe would dare cross."

"What about the other five?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You said there were six singularities… Where are the other five stones?"

Now she could see what Howard Stark and the Red Skull had in common. Greed and recklessness. She was trying to tell him why no one should meddle with an Infinity Stone, and he was asking her where the remaining stones were… "Not here, thankfully. I can't let you do this, Howard."

"If you think you can leave this building with the Tesseract, you're wrong. I know bullets can stop you." His voice was calm, but the threat was obvious.

Sigyn decided to respond with an equally subtle threat. "So do I."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, Sigyn. I don't _really_ hate you. You're alright."

"I don't really hate you either, Howard. I actually respect you."

"I know. I'm great."

Sigyn shook her head. Howard was hopeless. "Look, if you do this, there will be consequences."

"Good."

"Why?"

"Because 'consequences' are a sign that you're on the right path. I know I'll make many enemies once those reactors are on the market. Enemies who don't want peace."

"I'm not talking about those petty wars you fight among yourselves! You need to start thinking on a universal scale. If you create this element, others will come for it from other galaxies, even other dimensions. I can't protect you. Asgard can't protect you."

"I never asked for your protection."

"I don't know if you're brave, or foolish, Howard, but I'm not talking about _you_. I'm talking about the entire Midgard. The moment you replicate the powers of the Space Stone, this realm is going to become a part of a bigger universe. Your people are not ready for it."

Perhaps for the first time, he seemed hesitant. Good. He was beginning to understand. But then, he said, "How about we make a deal? You let me keep studying the Tesseract, and I won't actually synthesize the element until we both agree the world is ready. Like I said, this is going to take years anyway. Think of it as a long-term investment."

"How am I going to know you'll keep your end of the bargain?"

"Come on, Sigyn… I'm not sure why, but you care about this world. Help me make it a better place."

She thought for a moment. Indeed, if there was anyone who was clever enough to make Midgard a better place, it was Howard. She believed his intentions to bring a permanent peace was genuine. "Very well. I know your intentions are noble, Howard. It's your greed that worries me."

"My greed? Well, I wasn't exactly born into wealth. I grew up on the lower east side, I got no intention of going back there. I can arrange a tour if you want to see what _that_ part of New York looks like. Then we can discuss my greed again!"

"That's not what I meant. Heimdall told me you went on many dangerous expeditions just to find the cube. You were willing to die for it. That's never a good sign."

Howard made no reply. He poured himself a drink, crossed to the window, pulled the curtain, and watched the streets in silence. Not knowing what else to do, Sigyn started studying his notes more carefully. _Numbers_, she thought as the companionable silence stretched on. Numbers were important to Howard. Arithmetic helped him understand how the universe worked.

Neither of them spoke for a long time. Then he suddenly said, still looking out the window, "Your gatekeeper lied to you."

"Excuse me?"

"Your gatekeeper lied to you. I wasn't looking for the Tesseract."

"What were you looking for?"

"Not what, but _who_." He took out another file from his vault. "Captain Steve Rogers."

"Your greatest warrior, I know."

"And my friend," he said sharply, and left the file on the table for her.

The first thing she saw when she turned the folder open was the black-and-white picture of a fair-haired young man. He seemed so skinny that he could easily be mistaken for a child upon first glance.

"Was this your greatest hero?" she asked in disbelief. "Forgive me, but he looks so… sickly."

But Howard didn't seem offended at all. On the contrary, he looked almost proud. "Oh, he _was_ sickly. Asthma, arrhythmia, scoliosis, to name a few… But that was before the serum."

"What serum?"

"Dr. Abraham Erskine's super soldier serum."

Yes, she recalled Jarvis saying something about this Dr. Erskine and his formula. This actually explained a lot. She found another picture of Steve Rogers in the folder, and in this one, he seemed much bigger and stronger. Heimdall had never told her anything about a super soldier serum. He had simply said Steve Rogers had been _trained_ to be a great warrior. And she had a guess why. This miracle, the super soldier serum… Perhaps it would work on her as well. She was half mortal, after all.

"Are there more soldiers like Captain Rogers?"

"No. HYDRA killed Dr. Erskine. His formula is gone."

"Can you not recreate it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not Dr. Erskine."

"But you're clever, like him."

"That's not how science works, Sigyn. I'm trying, of course, but…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, you didn't do anything. It's just… I think Steve might be still alive."

"What?"

"The impact of the crush probably put him in a comatose state, but the cold would preserve his body, and the serum could keep him alive. That's my theory, at least. That's why I keep going on those expeditions. And even if he is… dead, his body is still the key to replicate the serum. We had his blood samples, of course, but the government ran out of their supply a long time ago, and I… I lost the only sample I had."

Sigyn came up with an idea. "Are you sure? Is there not even a single drop of his blood left?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I can locate him. With magic. All I need is something that belonged to him."

"Why would you do that?"

"We Asgardians respect every hero in the Nine Realms. I'd be honored to help you find Captain Rogers."

His eyes shone with wild excitement. "I can get you his belongings," he suggested frantically.

"No, not his belongings. I need something that was a part of him. Like blood, or hair…"

"Would tissue samples do?" She had never seen him like this before. It was as if he turned into someone else while speaking of this Captain America.

"Yes, of course."

"I'm going to make a phone call," he said, and ran out of the room.

He was furious when he returned.

"Damn it!" he yelled, slamming the door shut. "No samples left! Idiots…"

Sigyn made no reply. Instead, she watched him in silence as he paced up and down like a caged animal, muttering curses under his breath, until a woman entered and told him that Agent Sousa was here to see him.

…

Now that Sigyn was convinced that the Tesseract was safe with SHIELD, she spent most of her time in Howard's library, reading books to understand Midgard better. Sometimes, she and Ana explored New York together. Other times, Peggy came to visit her, both to chat and show her pictures of mysterious artifacts that were kept in the other SHIELD facilities around the world. She was hoping Sigyn could identify them. 0-8-4s, SHIELD called them, objects of unknown origin. Sigyn couldn't identify every single one, but most were just harmless trinkets.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked Peggy one evening as Peggy prepared to leave for her apartment.

"Of course."

"You became much more amiable towards me after you saw me with Heimdall. Why?"

Peggy returned to her seat and sighed thoughtfully, but seemingly glad that Sigyn had noticed. "I suppose you reminded me of myself. I know what it's like to do the right thing, but getting your hands tied by a bunch of narrow-minded superiors."

"What are you talking about? You're one of the founders of SHIELD. You don't have any superiors."

"Before SHIELD, I was an SSR agent. In this world, respect doesn't come easily when you're a woman. Howard was one of the first people who believed in me. I don't know if this makes sense to you. I imagine things must be very different in Asgard. At least your hands aren't tied because you're a woman."

"That's not exactly true."

"Really?" she asked, apparently surprised to hear that. "But they sent _you_ here. It can't be too bad if they trust a woman with a powerful artifact like the Tesseract."

"They only let me volunteer because they consider Midgard a lesser world. This place would be beneath… most Asgardians." Sigyn mentally slapped herself. She was almost going to say "pure-blooded Asgardians."

"Well, that actually explains…"

"I have an elder sister. When she wanted to become a warrior, people scoffed at her. At least until she fought her first battle."

"Was she the one who encouraged you to follow her footsteps?"

"What? No. She was incredibly protective of me. She never wanted me to be a fighter. But I'm not as good as she is, so I don't blame her."

"You're married, aren't you?"

"Yes."

She studied her for a moment, as if she was deciding whether to give Sigyn a secret or not. Then, she said, "I was engaged once, did you know that?"

"To Captain Rogers?"

"Oh, no. I'm talking about my life before the SSR."

"What happened?"

"I had a brother, Michael. He knew me better than anyone else. Even myself. He knew I wasn't cut out for the quiet life. I was working as a codebreaker back then, and he recommended me to be a field agent. I thought he was being crazy. But he died, and only then, I was able to see he was the only one who truly understood me."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"He died, but not in war," she suddenly said. "He died much later, in an undercover mission. He worked for MI6. I had no idea until three months ago."

"You thought he was a soldier. In truth, he was a spy."

She smiled bitterly. "I couldn't have said it better myself. But it's not what really hurts me. I'm a spy, too. I understand he had a duty, but… He lied to_ us_. To his family. I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive him."

"You will."

"How do you know that?"

"Because siblings always forgive each other."

She gave her a questioning look.

"During a battle in Nornheim, the man my sister loved was captured. We walked right into a trap trying to save him. I got reckless, and Haldor paid the price. Sif never blamed me for what happened, but perhaps she should have."

It wasn't the whole truth. Haldor hadn't died because Sigyn had become reckless; he had died because she was too weak to defend herself. But she wanted to know if Howard could really fix her before telling everyone here about her mortal heritage.

"Michael had a son. I wasn't sure at first, but the mother gave me a letter from Michael, and it was definitely his handwriting. That's how I found out the truth."

Sigyn smiled. "So, you have a nephew."

"He is five, and he is just… perfect. He has Michael's eyes. I haven't told my parents yet." Peggy, too, was smiling, but tears had brimmed in her eyes.

"Where are they?"

"They still live in England. Howard is planning to go on another expedition. I'm hoping to take some personal time off when he returns, and visit them. It's not something I can tell them in a letter, or on the phone."

Sigyn didn't think it was going to be easy. But it was something that needed to be done. She took Peggy's hand and gently squeezed it. "You're the strongest mortal I've ever met, Peggy. If anyone can do this, it's you. And who knows, giving this boy a good life might free you from this terrible guilt that has been haunting you. I wish you good fortune."

"Thanks."

She released her hand. "So, Howard is going on an expedition…"

"Yes."

"You don't seem very hopeful."

"I think he's becoming obsessed, Sigyn. Steve is dead. And if anyone loved Steve more than I did, it was Howard, but we all have to move on."

"Is this why you're with Agent Sousa now?"

"No, no… I truly care about Daniel. I'm just starting to fear for Howard."

Sigyn remembered the day she had told Howard about the locating spell. She had never seen the man so frantic before that. Perhaps Peggy was right to be concerned.

"Could you really find his body if you had a blood sample?" Peggy suddenly asked.

"I believe I could, yes."

Peggy bowed her head.

"It wasn't your fault Howard lost the sample."

She took a deep breath to steady herself and smiled again. "Like I said, we have to move on."

"I'd like to go on this expedition with him."

She looked at Sigyn incredulously. "_You_ want to go on an expedition with Howard? Why?"

"Perhaps I can find another way to help."

"I don't think he would mind, but please do me a favor and don't strangle him to death during the journey. I know he can be reckless, arrogant, selfish and volatile, and he makes inappropriate jokes sometimes, but he's a good friend. After Michael, he was the second person who believed in me."

"I'll behave. You have my word."

* * *

**A/N: So, about Peggy's brother… In **_**Agent Carter**_**, his death was the reason she decided to become an agent in the first place, but I read a theory that he didn't really die in the war, that he might actually be a spy who went dark or something. This makes sense, because later, in **_**Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,**_** there was an obituary to Peggy in a newspaper, stating Peggy had only one sibling, a brother. I added this detail about his son, so when Sharon Carter shows up in the story, she won't appear out of nowhere.**


	8. Chapter 8

Howard had agreed to take Sigyn on the expedition with him, but on one condition: They were going to have fondue together. _"We're just going to eat cheese and bread,"_ he had elaborated when he had seen the look on her face. _"As friends."_

"I still don't like this," she complained to Ana as she helped Sigyn choose a dress for the occasion. "People are going to think I'm one of _those_ women."

"Who cares? Mr. Stark respects you. A lot. Believe me, that's no easy feat." She showed her a deep blue dress. "How about this? It's going to bring out the color of your eyes."

"It looks great, thanks." The truth was, Sigyn didn't care how she looked tonight. All she wanted was to convince Howard to save her from the weakness running through her veins.

Ana also gave her a matching purse and a pair of shoes, and once she was ready, Mr. Jarvis drove her and Howard to a restaurant that was more than an hour away from his residence in Manhattan. The waiters at the restaurant had obviously been expecting them, and their table was ready.

Once they were seated, Sigyn said, "I'm disappointed in you, Howard."

"Why?"

"I thought we were starting to understand one another. And yet you still enjoy humiliating me."

Howard must have sensed her desperation somehow and was now using it against her. And although she _was_ desperate, she wasn't going to beg him on her knees to fix her either. She still had some dignity left, thank the Norns.

"Humiliating you?"

"Isn't that why you've brought me here? You know I'll never be one of your conquests, but you still found a way to make me look like I am."

He rolled his eyes. "Get over yourself."

"Says the man who makes everything about himself…"

He smirked. "You have no idea where we are, do you?"

"We're in a restaurant."

"In Brooklyn."

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"This was Steve's neighborhood. You keep calling him a great warrior, but he always saw himself as just a kid from Brooklyn. Nothing more. I come here every time before going on an expedition. It inspires me, I guess."

"Oh." To be honest, she was now feeling a bit embarrassed. She had made such a fool of herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

A waiter had returned with their plates, and a bottle of wine. Sigyn shook her head when he attempted to fill her cup, so he only filled Howard's instead. Howard waited until they were alone once again.

"It's called wine," he then said.

"I know what it is. I… don't drink."

"Why not?"

She decided this was a good opportunity to speak the truth. "They wouldn't let me. Asgardian drinks are too strong, and I am… Well, I wasn't entirely honest with you, Howard. My father is an Asgardian, true. I was born and raised in Asgard, but my mother was a mortal."

Upon hearing this, he didn't seem angry, or betrayed. More like intrigued. "So, Asgardian drinks are too strong for you… Would they kill you?"

"I don't know. Probably. You must understand, Howard. I'm the only half-mortal, half-Asgardian in the universe."

"What about your sister?"

"Sif is my half-sister. See? Nothing is certain when it comes to me."

"Nonsense," he said, taking out a pen and a small notebook. "Everything can be calculated, therefore predicted. Even your nature… How old are you? Can you give me an exact number?"

"Of course. 980."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm quite familiar with Midgardian calendars. I was born in the year 970 A.D. Now we're in 1950, right?"

"Alright," he said, and wrote it down. "Damn. You're a thousand years old, and you've never got drunk once. No wonder you ran away…"

"I didn't _run away_. I volunteered."

"Whatever you say, pal." He took the wine bottle, read its label, and took some more notes. Then he opened the bottle and filled her glass.

"Howard, I told you I don't—"

"This won't kill you. I promise."

"Do I have to?"

"If you want to know more about yourself, yes. Getting you drunk is an excellent way to see how fast your metabolism burns."

She raised her glass. "To Captain Rogers."

"To Captain Rogers."

She took her first sip, and it tasted good. Howard grinned. "See? Contrary to popular belief, science_ is_ fun. Let me know if you start feeling dizziness, headache, blurry sight, or any other symptoms."

He dipped a piece of bread into the melted cheese, and took a bite. Then he kept scribbling. He occasionally looked at his watch as well.

Sigyn was still clear-headed by the time she drained her first glass. Then she remembered that there was something she had always wished she could do. Other Asgardians did it all the time.

"ANOTHER!"

When she smashed the glass, every gaze in the restaurant turned to her. Even Howard had jumped in his seat.

"Are you drunk already?"

"No, I feel fine."

"Then why did you do it?"

"It tasted good. I asked for another."

"That's not how we ask for a refill here."

"Oh." Once again, she felt ashamed. "Forgive me if I embarrassed you."

One of the waiters gave him a wary, questioning look. Howard just nodded, and he started sweeping up the broken glass pieces on the floor. Another waiter brought her a new glass. She had thought Howard would be embarrassed, but he was now actually biting his lips in order to not laugh.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, pouring herself more wine.

"Doing what?"

"Helping me. I haven't even asked you yet."

"What exactly were you going to ask me?"

Sigyn could sense that he already knew the answer to that question. Nevertheless, she said, "Would the super soldier serum work on me?"

"It's hard to say."

"Look, you don't have to do this—"

"Of course I don't."

"But if you do, I'll be forever in your debt."

"It's going to cost you."

"What do you want in exchange?"

"I'm not sure yet. Let's just enjoy our dinner first, shall we?"

…

After five more cups of wine, Sigyn had started feeling dizzy, and Howard had said that was enough. When she stood on her feet, the dizziness became worse. She had to let Howard take her arm and led her back to the car. Mr. Jarvis opened the door for them with a questioning look on his face. Howard told him about their "experiment" briefly. Then they all sit in a companionable silence at first, until Howard broke it.

"Why do you want the serum?"

Mr. Jarvis made no comment, but shot a curious glance through the mirror. She decided to be honest. "I'm tired of being weak, Howard. Tired of depending others for protection, of not being able to protect the ones I love, of trying to prove my worth constantly and failing."

Mr. Jarvis cleared his throat. "If I'm not mistaken, you once said your magic made you Queen Frigga's prodigy…"

"Yes," she laughed bitterly. The wine had made her more talkative. "Magic. No one respects magic in Asgard. _Tricks_, they call it. Queen Frigga might be the only one who believes there's no dishonor in it."

"Why do they think it's dishonorable?" Howard asked.

"Magic is a coward's weapon. A true warrior doesn't hide in the shadows, or deceive the enemy with illusions."

Neither of the men in the car said anything, so Sigyn closed her eyes. What was Howard going to want from her? If only he didn't torment her like this and told her what he wanted in exchange. She had already been cursed with too much uncertainity. She didn't need the antics of an arrogant mortal as well.

When they returned home, Howard took her to the library, saying there was something he wanted to show her. He picked one of the books from the shelf, and showed it to her.

"_The Art of War_," Sigyn read the title. "By Sun Tzu… Who is Sun Tzu?"

"Some ancient general… Like your father, right? Only, this fellow was Chinese. Anyway, this is one of the books I read before founding Stark Industries. It helped me a lot."

"I don't understand. This seems like a book on warfare."

"Trust me, business and warfare are not very different from each other." He opened the book and skimmed through the pages. "Here… One of my favorite quotes."

She took the book from him. Howard had underlined a sentence on this page. _"All warfare is based on deception,"_ she read the underlined sentence out loud.

"If your people think your 'tricks' are too good for them, they're a bunch of stinking idiots. You can't win any wars without tricks. I'd rather win dishonorably and stop the bad guys than die honorably and let them win. It's called being practical."

"Would Captain Rogers not disagree?"

"Steve was… well, Steve. The rest of us aren't him."

"My husband would like you."

"Perhaps you should introduce us sometime. Speaking of, can you bring another, full-blood Asgardian here?"

"For what?"

"For comparative data analysis. You're my new experiment, remember?"

"I can ask Loki… or my sister." She didn't think the former would agree. It had been more than three months, and she still hadn't heard from him. Loki could be quite stubborn sometimes. "But you still haven't told me what kind of favor you want in return."

"Oh, I have something in mind. Did you know Ana was shot two years ago?"

"I do."

"Did you know she couldn't have children because of that injury?"

"I had no idea." There was a sudden, uneasy jolt in her stomach, and perhaps for the first time, she realized how much she had grown to care about these people. Even Howard wasn't so bad.

"I've consulted with the best gynecologists and surgeons all around the world since then. They all say her case is hopeless. I thought maybe you, with your magic, or Asgardian technology, whatever…"

Sigyn looked at him, with a mixture of relief, compassion and respect. "Of all things you could've asked from me, do you want me to heal your butler's wife?"

"Yes," he said, with no hint of hesitation or regret.

"Why?"

"Because I blame myself for what happened. Whitney Frost shot Ana to stop Peggy from pursuing her. I was the one who had introduced Jarvis to Peggy. I'm the reason they were involved in that mess in the first place."

Howard wasn't lying. He obviously blamed himself for what had happened. Before replying, Sigyn concealed herself from Heimdall's sight, just in case, and to her surprise, didn't feel much guilt about it. Howard was right. Fights couldn't be won without tricks. Besides, Heimdall had lied to her about many things she should have known. Her faith in Asgard had been shaken, to put it mildly. She was starting to ask herself questions she had never asked before.

"I might be able to help Ana. If I take her to the healing room—"

"Wait, is this a healing room in Asgard?"

"Yes. How else do you expect me to heal her?"

"I don't know. I thought you'd brew a fertility potion or something."

She chuckled. "That's not how it works, Howard."

"How will you take them to Asgard?"

She didn't think Heimdall would allow them to use the Bifrost. Loki's secret portals were too dangerous for mortals. There was only one other way. "The Tesseract."

"The Tesseract?"

"The cube contains the Space Stone, remember? It's meant to be used to travel through space, not just build weapons or generate energy. But I need you to build a contraption that can help me harness its power. I can show you how."

"So, you're going to… teleport them to Asgard?"

"I'll be with them, don't fret."

He thought for a moment. A deep line had appeared on his forehead. Then he said, "I'll speak with the Jarvises first."

"As you wish."

He bid her goodnight, and retreated to his bedroom.

"_Have you gone mad?"_ a familiar voice asked once Sigyn was alone in the library. Or, at least once she thought she was alone. She turned around, only to find Loki standing behind her. He wasn't really here, though. This was just a projection.

"I missed you, too, Loki."

"Come home, then."

"I can't. I've sworn an oath."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, come now, my love. You and I both know that the Tesseract is not why you want to stay in this wretched world."

Her smile faded. Loki was still in a foul mood. "Why are you here, Loki?"

"I fear for you, Sigyn. You care too much about these mortals. Especially that filthy pervert."

"Howard, you mean?"

"Yes."

"Is this jealousy I sense in you?"

"Can you blame me? He tried to seduce you when you first met."

"Loki, it was a misunderstanding! We're past that now. In fact, he reminds me of Fandral. You've never been jealous of Fandral, have you?"

"I know Fandral. I don't know anything about Howard Stark."

"Then come here and live with me! You can learn more about these people yourself."

"What?"

"You heard me. We can have a good life here. Together. You can be a part of this."

"I can't believe you Sigyn," he said, shaking his head angrily.

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"_What is wrong with it?"_ he spat. "After everything I've done to prove myself a worthy heir to the throne of Asgard, do you really expect me to cast it aside and choose a self-imposed exile, like you did?"

Sigyn looked him in the eye defiantly. Perhaps for the first time in 980 years, she knew exactly what she wanted from life, and was willing to stand her ground to defend it. "Do you really want to spend an eternity trying to show your worth to people who don't even want to see it?"

Her defiance must have startled Loki, because he quickly looked away. "And what does Midgard have to offer?"

"Friendship. Family. Love. And above all, acceptance. I know you've seen us, Loki. A genius millionaire from the lower east side of New York, a woman warrior trying to make her mark in a men's world, a butler who was dishonorably discharged from his army to save the woman he loved, a Hungarian seamstress who barely escaped genocide… And you're an Asgardian prince who had to live his entire life in his older brother's shadow. You'll fit right in."

"Is that how lowly you think of me? Of us? That we belong with a bunch of misfits?"

"You're right. We might be a bunch of misfits, but I think our lives are much more meaningful than of those who always look down on us. Because unlike them, we're trying to make a difference. For the first time in my life, I feel useful. Powerful. People look at me with respect, not with pity or disgust! And I want my beloved husband to find happiness, just like I have. Why does it bother you so much?"

"Because that happiness won't last forever. What are you going to do when they all perish one by one?"

The question made her shudder. Loki was making a good argument; she should have never grown to care about these people. But it was too late to severe that bond now.

"See? Do you remember how it felt, when you lost your mother? You will go through the same pain, over and over again. How much grief do you think you can take? Eventually, it will destroy you."

"I refuse to think about that now."

"I see," he said angrily, and in a flash of green light, disappeared.

…

The expedition was a failure. They couldn't find any sign of Captain Rogers. But by the time they returned, the Jarvises had made up their minds. They wanted to go to Asgard. So, Sigyn showed Howard how to build a simple device that would harness the Tesseract's power and transport its users to Asgard and back.

"It's completely safe," Sigyn assured them. Both Ana and her husband seemed nervous.

Howard patted on Mr. Jarvis' back. He said he would love to come with them, but the more people Sigyn had to conceal from Heimdall, the more difficult it was to maintain the spell. "She's right, Jarvis. You'll be alright."

"Thank you, sir."

"Ready?" she asked, grabbing one end of the device. The Jarvises looked at each other and smiled before grabbing the other end.

"We're ready, Lady Sigyn."

She turned the handle, and in the blink of an eye, they were in Asgard. The Tesseract had brought them inside the healing room. They looked around, and then out the window.

Ana gasped. "Oh, Edwin! This place is so beautiful!"

Mr. Jarvis wrapped his arms around her waist, and smiled. "Indeed it is."

Sigyn gave the mortal couple a moment to take the sight in, trying not to think about how much she had missed her home. But then, she had only missed the place, not the people. Except for her family and friends. Then she sent the Tesseract to her personal pocket dimension, and cleared her throat.

"Shall we?"

"Oh, right," Ana said apologetically. "What should I do?"

"Lie on that table over there. It's a Soul Forge."

She eyed it warily."A Soul Forge… Is this going to hurt?"

"Ana, do you honestly think I'd hurt you?"

"I know you wouldn't, but…" She lied down on the table. Her husband came to hold her hand.

"Look at us," Ana whispered to him. "We're having a space adventure."

Mr. Jarvis nodded. "Miss Carter is going to be so jealous."

Sigyn was about to ignite the Soul Forge when the doors opened and Odin stormed in with at least a dozen men behind him. The worst part was, her father was among them.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Allfather roared. Ana quickly got off the Soul Forge. Mr. Jarvis pulled her into a protective hug. Sigyn put herself between her friends and the Allfather.

"Allfather, please! I was the one who brought them here. It was my idea."

"You know it is forbidden."

"I do."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because they're my friends. I want to help them."

"Careful, Sigyn. You're losing your path. You've made a grave mistake by using the Tesseract for your selfish whims."

"We'll return to Midgard immediately once I heal her. Please, Allfather, I'm begging you, both as your subject and your daughter by law."

"No. They do not belong here any more than a goat belongs at a banquet table."

At that moment, Mr. Jarvis stepped forward and stood beside Sigyn. "Excuse me, sir, but who do you think you are?

Odin shot him an angry glare, but Mr. Jarvis stood tall and kept looking him in the eye defiantly. "I am Odin Allfather, the King of Asgard and the Protector of the Nine Realms."

"Protector of the Nine Realms… That's quite ironic, considering the fact that you did absolutely nothing while the Nazis terrorized innocent people like my wife, with your most treasured relic at their disposal. You titles mean nothing to me, sir, and I will not stand idly by while you insult my wife and my friend!"

If Sigyn didn't know Mr. Jarvis, she would regard him as a fool, like Odin apparently did now. But she knew Mr. Jarvis well enough, and she knew he was anything but a fool. He was a brave man who was willing to defy anyone for those he loved. Be it a mortal army general, or the most powerful being in the Nine Realms.

Odin turned to Sigyn. "Mortals must advance through adversary, Sigyn. I know you mean well, but you don't know them as well as you think you do."

"Forgive me, Allfather, but I don't see how their pain will help the rest of humanity advance."

"You're right. You don't. I do. That's why _I_ am King."

"And what if I find another way to heal her one day, without help from Asgard? What are you going to do? Will you make her, too, swear an oath not to bear any children?"

Everyone in the room looked at her. The guards with appall, the Jarvises with confusion. The two mortals didn't know how Odin had humiliated her at her own wedding. Odin's face, on the other hand, was devoid of all expression.

"Do not make me rue the day I allowed your mother to come here," he said coldly. "If you do anything like this ever again, you'll spend the rest of your days in the dungeons… with Lorelei. Now, leave."

Odin knew how to make hurtful threats.

"Yes, my king," she muttered obediently, conjured the Tesseract, and held it out for her friends. She shot an apologetic glance at her father before the cube took them back to Midgard. Her only regret was to have brought shame on him.


	9. Chapter 9

After they returned to Midgard, the Jarvises never spoke of what had happened in the healing room, but the next day, Howard asked Sigyn who Lorelei was. She told him everything. Soon, her new friends knew what it meant to be the only half-mortal in Asgard and why she was so desperate to become a great warrior. For the first time since she had come to her mother's realm, she saw pity in their eyes. But that pity didn't wound their friendship. On the contrary, they seemed to trust her more now. After that failure, she didn't think Howard would be willing to use the super soldier serum on her even if he was able to recreate it one day, but he promised that he would, and he didn't want anything from her in return anymore. He also said he now trusted Sigyn to give her her own place to live. It was a penthouse in Manhattan; smaller than the mansion where she had lived with the Jarvises, and the other floors belonged to other mortals, but it had a magnificent view of the New York City. Sigyn said she could pay for this residence with Asgardian gold—when she had accepted to become the guardian of the Tesseract, Odin had given her enough gold to afford a comfortable living in Midgard for at least 500 years—but Howard had refused to take it. In the penthouse, Sigyn had found the records of old Viking songs. When she played them, she realized some of the songs her mother used to sing had survived to this age. That was such a thoughtful gesture.

Sigyn suspected it was Loki who had told Odin about her plan to bring mortals to Asgard. He admitted it when she confronted her husband. Sigyn knew he was trying to protect her in his selfish, twisted way, but she refused to speak with him again after that confrontation. She was betrayed, she furious, and she didn't know how she would ever be able to forgive him.

Ana had been pretending to be unusually cheerful since they had returned from Asgard. Was it to hide her own pain from Sigyn, or to console her, she didn't know. Probably both. Although they didn't live in the same house anymore, Sigyn and Ana still spent plenty of time together. They would take a stroll in the streets, go shopping or to movies. They were taking a walk after seeing a movie named _Sunset Boulevard_, for example, along a street Sigyn was pretty sure she had never seen before. Ana was determined to show her every part of this city.

"Stop blaming yourself for what happened," she suddenly said, taking her arm. "You did everything you could. Besides, Mr. Stark promised to help you, right?"

"It's not about the serum, Ana. I really wanted to help you. You would be a great mother."

"So would you."

"It's not the same thing. I swore an oath not to bear children. I had a choice. You didn't."

"Look, I only spent like, half an hour, in Asgard, but from what I saw, I don't think you were given much of a choice… in anything."

Sigyn opened her mouth to say it wasn't actually as bad as it seemed, but she froze when she sensed something. Was it… magic? Yes, it was definitely magic. This was unusual. There were no sorcerers in Midgard. She looked around to find the source, and decided that the energy was coming from the building on her right.

"Sigyn?" Ana asked warily. "Is everything alright?"

"What's that building over there?"

Ana shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a building. Why?"

"Nothing," she lied. "Just curious. Does this street have a name?"

She thought for a moment before replying. "Bleecker Street, I guess. What's wrong? You're acting weird."

Sigyn would love to discover the source of this Midgardian magic, but not while she was with Ana. Whatever it was, it could be dangerous.

"Sorry. It just seemed familiar. I must have been mistaken. Come, let's keep walking."

Ana didn't seem convinced, but she didn't push the matter any further. Tomorrow, Sigyn would come back here, alone, and find out. Sigyn sometimes still struggled navigating her way through Midgardian streets, but at least she had an address in case she got lost.

_117A, Bleecker Street._

…

The next day, Sigyn was standing at the door of the mysterious building. Instead of actual Midgardian clothes, she had donned her armor, and disguised it as a Midgardian dress. When she knocked, the door opened by itself. She stepped inside. She could still sense the same magic she had sensed yesterday, but other than that, there was nothing unusual about the richly decorated entrance hall. It reminded her of Howard's houses. Whoever owned this place, they had to be wealthy.

"Lady Sigyn, welcome to the New York Sanctum," a male voice said. There was a man who stood at the top of the wide wooden stairs. Slowly, he descended the steps, and stopped right before her. Sigyn now knew enough about the life in Midgard to realize that there was something unusual about his outfit. Mortals didn't normally wear layered robes like the one this man was wearing. But more importantly, Sigyn could sense magic in him. He wasn't the source itself, but he definitely practiced magic.

She dismissed the illusion on her armor to show him that she had come here prepared, but decided not to draw her sword just yet. "The New York Sanctum? What does that mean? And who are you?"

"I am the Master of the New York Sanctum. The Ancient One is waiting for you. She will answer your questions. This way, please."

Not sure what else to do, she followed this Master into a corridor on the left. It was a short corridor, and there was a stone door at the end. A door with a peculiar symbol on it. Then she recalled that she had seen the same symbol on the top of this building.

The man opened this door, and gestured her to go ahead. When Sigyn passed the threshold, she felt something around her shift. There was a bald woman in similar robes on the other side, indeed waiting for her.

"Thank you, Master William," she told the sorcerer.

Master William didn't follow Sigyn inside this room. Instead, he closed the door, leaving her alone with this woman.

"Are you the Ancient One?"

"I am. And you're Lady Sigyn of Asgard, daughter of General Tyr, wife of Loki Odinson, and the protector of the Space Stone."

Sigyn didn't ask how she knew all these. The magic she sensed in this mortal was much stronger than what she had sensed in Master William. There was also something dark and ancient. It wasn't really difficult for such a powerful sorceress to know who Lady Sigyn was. Instead, she asked, "I'm not in New York anymore, am I?"

She smiled. "No. But fear not, you're free to return any time you wish."

"What is this place?"

"This is Kamar-Taj."

"Another 'Sanctum'?"

"No. But all Sanctums are connected through this place."

She turned around and looked at the door she had passed through. There were two more like that one. "Are there only three Sanctums?"

"Yes. You've discovered the New York Sanctum. The others are in London and Hong Kong. Come, let me show you around. Kamar-Taj is nothing like Asgard, of course, but I think you'll still find it quite charming."

When she looked around, she realized this place was actually a library. Much smaller than the libraries of Asgard, but it was still a vast collection.

"All these books," she gasped. "Are they on magic?"

"Yes."

The Ancient One led her into a courtyard, where a dozen of mortals were practicing a sequence of movements. At first, she didn't understand what they were doing, but then realized they were learning to open a portal. And most were succeeding. The others, she assumed, had to be beginners.

"You harness mystical energy to open portals… How do you do that?" It wasn't something one could do with Asgardian magic.

"You can learn how, if you join us… Tea?" A disciple brought her a tray. She poured two cups of tea, and gave one to Sigyn.

She smelled the tea, just in case, before taking a sip. "So, is that why you called me here? Do you want me to be your pupil?"

"I called you here because I knew you wanted to know more about Midgard, as is your right. You think you're neither human, nor Asgardian, but you're wrong."

"What am I, then?"

She looked her in the eye, and for some reason, Sigyn felt like this sorceress' gaze was piercing right through her soul. "You're both."

Sigyn made no reply.

"Do you think you're the only lost soul in the world? Kamar-Taj is a house of wisdom, enlightenment, and self-discovery for people like you. All these people you see around, they were once lost, too. And now, here they are."

"And it's_ you_ who heals them?"

"I teach them how to heal themselves."

"So, Midgard has its own sorcerers… Since when?"

"We humans are not as unsophisticated as Asgard believes us to be. In fact, our order predates many ancient civilizations."

"Heimdall has never told me about you."

"I can't say I'm surprised. I assume he's aware of the existence of Kamar-Taj and the Sanctums, but what transpires within them is hidden from his gaze."

"Impressive. Still, I don't understand. How can one become a "Master" of magic in only a matter of decades?"

"What we practice is called the Eldritch Magic. It's different from Asgardian sorcery. It takes an equal amount of dedication, if not more, but a shorter period of time to master."

"And once you master, what do you do with those powers?"

"I don't have to remind you how vulnerable this world is, Lady Sigyn. Organizations like SHIELD protect it from physical threats. The Sanctums protect it from mystical ones. And we, the Masters of the Mystic Arts, protect the Sanctums. What do you say? You're already a master in Asgardian magic. Would you like to learn the magic of your mother's world as well?"

"I would love to, but I can't join your order. My duty is to guard the Tesseract. I promised a friend that I'd let him keep and study it, so I can't bring it here with me. But I can't leave it unguarded back in New York either."

"You could also learn how to heal your friend, Ana Jarvis."

"By drawing power from the Dark Dimension, I assume?" she asked sharply. This mortal must have been drawing power from the Dark Dimension. That was how she must have become the "Ancient One." The idea disgusted Sigyn. There was a good reason any form of dark magic was forbidden in Asgard.

"I don't enjoy drawing power from the Dark Dimension," she admitted. "Nevertheless, I must keep doing it until I find a worthy successor."

"If you choose to become a slave to Dormammu with your own free will, it's not my place to stop you from doing so. But I refuse to use dark magic on my friend, even if it's the only way to heal her. Now, if you excuse me, I must return to New York." She put the empty teacup down.

"Of course. I see why you're called the Goddess of Fidelity, Sigyn Tyrsdottir."

"Thank you, Ancient One."

Sigyn followed her back into the library. As they made their way to the Sanctum gates, Sigyn heard a voice calling to her. It was genderless, and almost like a whisper, but she could hear it clearly.

"What's this?"

The Ancient One turned to her, and blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"Do you not hear a voice?"

"No... Can you tell me where it's coming from?"

She walked around the library, trying to locate the source. The whisper became louder as she approached the Sanctum doors. There it was, on the pedestal…

"What's that?"

"The Eye of Agamotto," gasped.

"What is it?"

"The Eye of Agamotto is one of the powerful relics here, created by our founder, Agamotto himself. Is it really calling to you?" She seemed as bewildered as Sigyn.

"I believe it does," she said approcahing the pedestal. When she put a hand on the pedestal, the Eye opened, revealing the glowing green gem inside. The Ancient One let out another gasp when it did. The power Sigyn sensed was as ancient as the universe itself, and infinite. Just like the Tesseract…

"The Eye wants to show you something. Put it on."

Sigyn obeyed. And the moment she did, she wished she hadn't.

She was on a spaceship, surrounded by dead Asgardians. Not just a few; there were _piles_ of dead bodies everywhere. Sigyn was on her knees, weeping. A gigantic, purple creature stood above her. He was wearing a gauntlet on his left hand. Just like the Infinity Gauntlet in Odin's Vault… But it couldn't be the same one. She was certain that the one in Asgard was for the right hand. Still, he was wearing an Infinity Gauntlet, and had _two_ Infinity Stones on it. One purple, one blue… The Power and The Space Stones. When he extended his right hand, she thought he was going to strike her, but he didn't. Instead, he gently wiped her tears away.

"I don't want to kill you," he said. His voice was surprisingly gentle as well. "You're unique, Sigyn. I don't want you to spend an eternity resenting me either. I made that mistake once, with another daughter… Still, there has to be a balance. I cannot make an exception, not even for my children. So, choose, child. I give you a chance to save one of them."

He stepped aside, and Sigyn saw that Loki and Sif were being held by two repulsive creatures. Only then, she realized what the purple one had been talking about. Sigyn had never seen either of them so scared before. Not even on that day in Nornheim…

"I cannot choose. Kill me instead."

"No. But unless you make a choice, I'll kill them both."

She gulped.

"My love," Loki said. "I understand. I understand why I must die. It's alright. I deserve to die anyway. All those people I killed…"

She choked on a sob. "But I love you, Loki. I love you so much."

He smiled. "I know. I love you, too. But you owe Sif a debt."

"Sister, you don't owe me anything. I've lived a good life. Now let me die a warrior's death."

But Sigyn knew Loki was right. She did owe Sif a debt. She turned her head, and looked at Thor behind her. He, too, was on his knees, and… What in Hel had happened to him? He was covered in blood, his hair had been cut short, he had lost an eye, and some kind of metal contraption restrained him. The mighty Thor had_ lost_ a battle…

"I'm sorry," she told him. "If only Thanos just killed me instead."

He bowed his head, as if he wanted to tell her that he understood her struggle.

Thanos smirked. "I assume you have a preference?"

"My sister. I choose my sister."

Much to her surprise, he gave her a dagger. "Very well. Give your treacherous husband a quick death, and we shall be done here."

Her eyes widened in terror. "Do you want _me_ to do it?"

"Unless you think he deserves a more painful death?" he questioned with a menacing smirk.

"No," she said quickly, scrambling to her feet. "Of course not. I'll do it."

She walked up to Loki. He was still smiling at her. "It's alright, Sigyn. I'm just glad it's you."

"Forgive me," she whimpered.

"There is nothing to forgive. I'll be reunited with Odin and Frigga in Valhalla. I'll see your parents, too. Haldor, the Warriors Three, perhaps even your beloved mortal friends…" He had looked at Sif while saying Haldor's name.

Sigyn tried to smile, too, but she couldn't. "Goodbye, my love," she said, and drove the dagger into his heart. Then she closed her eyes and howled in agony. When she opened her eyes again, she was back in Kamar-Taj.

"What was that?" she asked the Ancient One, panting heavily.

"That was your future." Sigyn was terrified, but the Ancient One's calmness led her to believe this wasn't even the worst thing the eye of Agamotto had shown her.

"This is the Time Stone, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"And Thanos… Who is he?"

"There are many who seek to collect all the six Infinity Stones. Thanos is one of them. He thinks he can bring balance to the universe by killing half of the living things."

"But that's madness!"

"And that's why people call him the Mad Titan."

"We must stop him!"

She smiled patiently as if Sigyn were a child throwing a tantrum. "You can try."

"So, will you just let him be, then? What kind of protector are you?"

"I've looked into my future and realized it's not my fight. It will be my successor's. For now, my duty is to wait for him."

Then, another thought occurred to her. "There are two Infinity Stones in Midgard. It's too dangerous."

"Then you must take the Tesseract to Asgard."

"I can't. I promised my king that I'd guard the cube here, and I promised my friend to let him study it. _You _must give up on the Eye."

"And do what, exactly? Hide it in another world and put its people in peril, like Odin did?" she asked sharply. "No, the Eye of Agamotto stays here, on Earth."

Sigyn wasn't going to give up easily. "So does the Tesseract. I'll tell Odin about the Time Stone. You shall answer to him."

"Do you really trust him?"

"Of course I do."

"Oh, Lady Sigyn… You might be married to the God of Lies, but you're not the Goddess of Lies. We both know that you're not going to tell Odin anything. You're not going to tell anyone anything."

"What makes you think so?"

"Because no one else knows the Time Stone is here. Not even Thanos. And we, as two stonekeepers, must keep it that way."

"What if he finds out anyway?"

"Thanos is not ready. We have time. We can use that time to prepare this world for his arrival. We might need the Eye for that."

"Can that future be changed?"

"What you saw was _a_ reality. Only one of many."

"So, it can be changed… How?"

"With the right actions."

Sigyn needed some time alone to process everything that had happened today. "I must go back to New York."

"Very well… Before you go, though, do you swear to keep our secrets?"

"I do. Thank you for your hospitality." she said, and bolted for the New York Sanctum door. She was starting to think she might have made too many promises.

…

Sigyn returned to her penthouse, only to find Loki waiting for her. His timing couldn't have been worse. But she couldn't tell him about the future she had seen. The Ancient One was right. She couldn't tell anyone. It was her burden to bear alone.

"What are you doing here?" she asked wearily.

"I've come to apologize."

"It's not my forgiveness you must earn."

"I could apologize to the Jarvises, if that's what you want."

Sigyn knew him well enough to see that he was serious. This newly-found humility surprised her, but she did her best not to look impressed. "No, you'll only scare them. Just do me a favor and stay away from my friends, alright?"

"As you wish."

"Go away, Loki." She turned around and headed for the kitchen. She hadn't eaten anything today. A full belly would probably help her think more reasonably. But suddenly, she felt Loki's cold fingers around her wrist. He wasn't just a projection. He _was_ here.

"How did you…"

"I used one of the secret passages. Oh, and I've brought you a proper Asgardian ship as well. It's on the roof. You won't have to rely on those primitive flying boats anymore."

Yes, this was the Loki she had missed. Mischievous, perhaps even duplicitous, but also thoughtful and affectionate. Then she remembered the Ancient One's words.

"_With the right actions."_

She could only change that future with the right actions. Loki would be a victim of Thanos only because of her love for him. That was what she needed to change.

"Loki, stop…"

"Stop what?"

"Stop pretending like we're in love."

He frowned. "Are we not?"

"No, Loki, we're not. We never have been."

"Then why did you marry me?"

"Because you left me no other choice! Because you are a spoiled, entitled prince who cannot handle rejection! You never loved me, Loki. I can see that now. My mother loved my father, and she followed him to a realm of unknown, without hesitation. Mr. Jarvis loves Ana, and he, a mere mortal, defied the Allfather himself when his wife was insulted. You never did either of those things for me when you should have. You only married me because you wanted to show everyone that you could have the most beautiful maiden in Asgard. I'm just a trophy. For hundreds of years, I let you parade me around, but no more. Go find yourself a new pet."

Sigyn might not be the Goddess of Lies, but she could lie convincingly enough if that was what it took to protect her husband. Still, when a tear fell from his eye, she had to look away.

"Very well," he said flatly. "It may be too late to annul our marriage, but rest assured, you'll never hear from me again. Enjoy your pathetic life in Midgard."

She closed her eyes, and only opened them when she heard the front door being slammed shut. Loki had left. Sigyn collapsed on the floor, and wept for hours. Finally, as the nightfall approached, she got on her feet, and decided to go to the rooftop. She wanted to see if Loki had taken the flyer with him. She hoped he had. It would prove that he really had given up on her.

But it was still there, cloaked with an invisibility spell. Loki must have decided to walk all the way to his secret portal, then, which was very far from here. Sigyn started crying again. How was she going to make this man hate her?

…

Loki kept his promise, and never contacted her after that day. But the more Sigyn thought of that vision, the less sense it made. Maybe Sigyn had been captured while trying to protect the Tesseract from Thanos, but why were the other Asgardians on that ship? They didn't look like warriors. Where were they going? Or, were they coming from somewhere? How could Thor, the greatest warrior of Asgard, lose a battle? Why was Mjolnir not with him? Where were the Warriors Three? Where was her father? Queen Frigga? And more importantly, where was Odin himself? But the lack of answers was going to drive her mad, so eventually, she stopped asking questions. Her life in Midgard returned to its normal course before anyone could even notice that it had fallen apart. Sigyn was just trying to be grateful for the family she had found here. But nothing lasted forever. Especially in Midgard.

As years passed, Howard's obsession with finding Steve Rogers, or at least replicating the super soldier serum became worse. For some obscure reason, Peggy and Mr. Jarvis seemed to be blaming themselves for this obssesion, and one day, they decided to confess something. Howard hadn't lost Captain Rogers' blood sample during that conflict with the SSR. Mr. Jarvis had secretly given it to Peggy, and Peggy had chosen to pour it away. They had hoped this confession would help Howard stop blaming himself, but it only made things worse. Howard kept Mr. Jarvis as his butler, and he kept working with Peggy at SHIELD, but he grew distant, cold, and stern. He buried himself in his work. He even stopped fooling around with women. Sigyn was starting to fear for him, but she refused to take any sides in this conflict. She loved all of them equally, and she couldn't blame any of them. They all had their reasons.

At least Peggy had been able to move on, and married Daniel Sousa. Hers was the first Midgardian wedding Sigyn had attended, and she had attended it with the Jarvises. Howard had refused to come. But they all remembered it was thanks to Howard that Daniel could have a dance with his bride.

Soon, Peggy had two children. A son and a daughter. Daniel knew of Sigyn's true identity, but both he and Peggy had agreed to leave their children out of the SHIELD business. It was a dangerous life. And a mysterious "family friend" who didn't age would eventually raise suspicions, so Sigyn gracefully promised to stay away from Peggy's family before anyone had to warn her.

The second wedding she attended was Joseph Manfredi's. She was a bit confused when she found out Manfredi was the leader of the Maggia, a criminal organization, but Howard said he and Joseph were childhood friends. They had grown up together. Manfredi even asked him to be his best man, and Howard was honored by the gesture. He begged Sigyn to go with him to the wedding, though, saying he didn't have any other female friends he trusted to keep the gold diggers away. It was alarming to hear such a thing from him. After all, he had willingly surrounded himself by those gold diggers for years.

He met Maria Carbonell at this wedding. She was a distant cousin of Manfredi's. Someone had asked her to play a song at the piano, and Howard couldn't take his eyes off her since then. _"She is an angel,"_ he kept saying. She was a charming young woman, indeed. And clearly, a talented musician. Manfredi introduced them, but unlike most women, Maria didn't swoon over him. On the contrary, much to his frustration, she barely looked at Howard. But Howard wouldn't give up easily either. At first, Sigyn had assumed he had returned to his old ways, but then realized that he actually respected this woman. After months of persistent courtship, Maria, too, was finally convinced and she decided to give Howard a chance.

When she and Howard got engaged, he told her the truth about SHIELD. He said he would do anything to keep her safe, but he also wanted her to understand how dangerous being Howard Stark's wife could be. But Maria wasn't a coward, and their wedding was the third one Sigyn attended. Howard agreed to invite Peggy and her family—mostly because Sigyn threatened not to come if he didn't—and they came, but he and Peggy barely spoke to each other. It broke Sigyn's heart. As for the Jarvises, they welcomed Mrs. Stark with open arms. Maria and Sigyn soon became good friends as well. _"I could never imagine America's Mustachioed Casanova and the Goddess of Fidelity making such a good team, but Howard is full of surprises," _she had said when she had found out the truth about "Sharon Tyler."

But Howard's wounds were too deep for even Maria's love to heal. He became more and more obsessed with the idea of proving his worth by building a better future, and not being remembered as a greedy weapons developer. But he still needed the money from the weapons to pursue his true dreams. He had another genius friend who shared these dreams. Anton Vanko. They had improved the Arc Reactor design together, and they were sure it was going to change the future. "The Unity Project," they called it. Howard had so much faith in this scientist that when his son was born, he gave him the English variant of his name, Anthony. He was planning to tell him the truth about the Tesseract when he discovered Anton's betrayal. Anton Vanko had been a spy for the Russian government all along. Howard deported him and his son to Russia immediately, but the betrayal made him even more paranoid and ill-tempered. He saw enemies everywhere.

He wasn't exactly wrong to be suspicious of everyone, though. There were indeed those who were trying to take advantage of his vulnerabilities. Maria was especially concerned about Obadiah Stane. She had even given Sigyn a secret, a secret she hadn't told anyone before. Stane had tried to seduce Maria—unsuccessfully, of course—while she was still Howard's fianceé. Lust, jealousy, and greed was a dangerous mixture. But telling this to Howard would only make his paranoia worse. So, the two women agreed to keep an eye on Stane and get rid of him quietly if he became a serious threat. Sigyn had come here to become an honorable warrior, but now, she was ready to become an assassin if necessary. Things she did for her friends…

She thought the situation couldn't get any worse, until one night she received a call from Maria. Ana Jarvis had died from stroke.


	10. Chapter 10

Although she was officially just a Consultant, there were times Sigyn used her abilities on the field as a stealth operative. This time, for example, she was investigating the reports of some suspicious activity in Los Angeles, reports on a mysterious man performing "miracles with light." Heimdall had told her to stay out of it, but if she was right, she couldn't ignore the fact that a Gibborim was roaming Midgard. The Gibborim were creatures of pure energy, and they needed to live in hosts, which made them quite elusive. She was on a solid track, though, when Maria called the motel she was staying in one night and told her that Ana had passed away. Sigyn aborted the mission and returned to New York immediately. She would probably never be able to get another chance to capture the rumored Gibborim, but that hardly mattered anymore.

No one had expected Ana to die. It had happened too sudden. Therefore, no one knew what kind of burial she wanted, not even Mr. Jarvis himself. She was a proud Jew, so she would probably want a proper Jewish burial, but Mr. Jarvis was a Christian, and he didn't want to be separated from her "when the time came for him" either. Howard finally let go of the old grudges, and used all his influence to be able to find an interfaith section in a Jewish cemetery for the Jarvises.

Howard's son, Tony, was with them, so Sigyn had to cloak herself invisible during the funeral. The poor boy was only four, but he had such a big heart. And he loved Ana. He looked as devastated as Mr. Jarvis himself. But when Howard shot him an angry glare, he buried his head into the crook of Maria's neck to muffle his sobs, and never made a sound again.

Sigyn wished his sister were here. During her mother's funeral, Sif had never let go of her hand. Sif's absence made her realize how much she had taken for granted back then. But she still needed a hand to hold, so she approached Peggy, the first sister she had found in Midgard. When an invisible hand took hers, Peggy was startled at first, but then, her face softened. She must have realized it was Sigyn. She didn't say anything, but gave it a gentle squeeze. They stayed like this until the ceremony ended. Then they all went to the Stark Mansion on Long Island. Maria took Tony to his room and stayed with him, while everyone else gathered in Howard's study. Only then, Sigyn revealed herself. Mr. Jarvis didn't seem surprised to see her.

"Thank you for coming, Lady Sigyn."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Jarvis."

After this brief, and painful exchange of words, the room went quiet. Everyone was looking at Howard, and Sigyn decided that only she was brave enough to say what needed to be said.

"I wish you weren't such a cruel father to that boy, Howard."

"Look, Sigyn… I like you, but this is _my_ family. I get to decide how to raise my son, not you. Know your place."

"_My place_." She chuckled bitterly. She could see how Peggy and Mr. Jarvis were holding their breaths. "Right, my place… The thing is, Howard, you're so busy reminding everyone of their places that you've forgotten yours. The place you have in our hearts. I might not be a part of your family, but you're a part of mine. And all I want is to make sure you don't have any regrets when… I mean, we just lost Ana, and…"

There was so much more she would like to tell him, but she had suddenly lost control and burst into tears. Saying the words out loud like that had suddenly made their loss more real.

Peggy pulled her into a hug. "It's alright, Sigyn. It's alright."

"I'm sorry," she forced herself to say with one final effort, and stormed out of the study. She could hear Peggy yelling at Howard about what a heartless monster he had become as she descended the stairs. But she couldn't stop crying, and she didn't want Mr. Jarvis to see her like this. The poor man was already in too much agony. So, she left the mansion, and walked in the streets aimlessly for hours. Midgard was never going to be the same without Ana Jarvis. Neither would Sigyn.

…

Two weeks later, Sigyn was quite surprised when Mr. Jarvis came to visit her.

"Mr. Jarvis? Is everything alright?" she asked, but then realized what a stupid question it was. He had lost the love of his life. He would never be alright again. His outfit might be impeccable as usual, his face clean-shaven and hair combed neatly, but the light in his eyes was gone. That witty, capable, tireless butler was long gone.

"Yes, my lady, everything is quite alright," he said nevertheless. "Mr. Stark sent me here to give you his most sincere apologies."

"_Mr. Stark_ should've given me his most sincere apologies himself," Sigyn said sharply. Seriously, what was Howard thinking, sending Mr. Jarvis here just to deliver a message? He could have simply called her on the phone. Mr. Jarvis was supposed to be in mourning.

"I believe he means to. He is expecting you in his office… Shall we?"

Well, if Howard had sent Mr. Jarvis himself to pick her up, then he really wanted to see her. He was probably just too busy to come here himself… and too proud.

She grabbed a jacket from the coat hanger. New York might not be as cold as her mother's village, but it was still cold. "Very well."

Mr. Jarvis drove her to the Stark Industries HQ, but instead of following her to Howard's office, he said he would be waiting for her return in the lobby. Sigyn took the elevator to the top floor alone. It was quite late in the evening, so there weren't many employees around. The door to Howard's office was ajar, though, and Sigyn could hear the muffled voices coming from inside.

"_So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I'd like to personally show you… my ass. I'd like… I—I can't. We have this, don't we?"_

"_No, this is different, we—"_

Sigyn cleared her throat to get his attention. The three men in the room, who were busy filming a promotional video for the upcoming Stark Expo, turned to her.

"Oh, hello, Sharon… Barney, Johnny, let's call it a night, shall we?"

The other two men nodded, and walked out of the room. Howard went to pour two glasses of Scotch, and gave one to Sigyn. Then he crossed to the window and looked out. This was the tallest building in New York, for now, at least. Erecting the tallest building seemed to be some kind of competition among mortals. Sigyn went to stand next to him.

"So," she started. "I'm expecting an apology…"

"I'm sorry, Sigyn. I really am. I lost Ana, too, you know. And I can't handle grief well. But I shouldn't have been so ungrateful to you. I'm surrounded by traitors and ass-lickers. You're the only true friend I've left."

"That's not entirely true."

"You mean, Peggy is still my friend?" he sneered.

"Look, I've never known Captain Rogers personally, but I'm pretty sure he'd hate to come in between you and Peggy."

"He would," Howard agreed.

"Then can't you at least try to find some forgiveness in your heart for her and Mr. Jarvis? For Steve Rogers' sake?"

"I'm not angry with them. I just… I'm hurt, I suppose. I thought those two knew me better than anyone else, and even they thought I saw another mountain of dollars when I looked at Steve's blood. I don't think I can live with myself if Tony, too, thinks so lowly of me one day."

"Howard, from what Maria tells me, your son worships you."

"He _fears _me. You should see how he hides behind Maria or Jarvis sometimes when he sees me. I deserve to rot in hell for that look in his eyes alone…" He paused, and sucked in a sharp breath. His lips were trembling.

She decided to be honest with him. Howard was right; he was surrounded by traitors and ass-lickers. He had pushed his true friends away. Maria loved him too much to break his heart with the truth. It was up to Sigyn to tell him what he needed to hear. "Can you blame him?"

"No."

"Then why are you doing this to him?"

"Do you know why Dr. Erskine chose Steve?"

"Because he had a noble heart."

"No, not just that. He also believed a man who'd been strong his whole life would lose respect for that power, but a weak man would know it's value. I was born in poverty, Sigyn. But even I didn't respect what I achieved for a long time. Until Peggy's… _betrayal_ brought me to my senses. And Tony… I don't want him to take this life for granted. I just don't know how to do it."

"He is your heir. You should prepare him, of course, but this is not the right way. Your outbursts will only confuse him."

He chuckled mirthlessly. "My _heir_… Oh, Sigyn, even after all these years, you still don't understand humans."

"Enlighten me, then."

"In a way, he is my heir, true. But he's going to inherit my enemies as well. If any harm comes to him because of me… I'm not Odin, and Tony is not Thor. I can't just put a magic hammer in his hand and send him off to battle. But I got something else for him."

"What is it?"

He turned around on his heels, crossed to the Stark Expo model, leaned his hands on the table and admired the model for a while.

"I did it, Sigyn," he then said. "I finally did it."

"Did what?"

"The element."

"Are you going to introduce it at the Expo?"

"No. You were right, pal. The world is not ready for it, and I'm not going to live forever. This is not just a model for the Expo. It's a secret blueprint. Tony can use it to synthesize the element one day. With your guidance."

"Howard, if the element is ready, you can synthesize it yourself now. I'm not as narrow-minded as I used to be."

"It's not that. We don't have the technology right now. And I don't think we'll have it at least for the next two decades. I hate being human at times like this. If I'm… not around by then, I want you to be the one to tell Tony. He's not ready to know this yet, but you're a part of the family."

Her heart sank. She was still mourning Ana, and now, Howard was talking about his own death… Still, she was also honored to know that Howard considered her family.

"It's not going to be easy for him to believe me, you know…"

"I know. That's why I want to put a message in film for him. Come on, you know how to use that camera, don't you?"

"Now?"

"Yes. I already have a speech in mind. Let's do this before I forget it."

"As you wish."

Once Howard seemed ready, Sigyn started recording.

"Tony… You are too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you. And someday, you'll realize that it represents a lot more than just some people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my time. But one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is, and always will be, my greatest creation, is you."

With his sign, she turned the camera off. "You know, for a second there, I thought you were going to say your greatest creation was Captain Rogers…"

He bowed his head in what looked like almost remorse.

"Oh, come on, Howard! It was a joke. You were supposed to laugh."

He looked up, and gave her a reluctant smile. "I try to be good to him. I really do. I just don't know what comes over me sometimes."

"You're just human, Howard. And you bear a burden no human should bear. You've done too much to change the world. It takes a toll on you."

"My failures, especially…"

She knew what he meant by "failures." "You have to let Captain America go. For your own sanity."

"It's not just Steve. I failed you, too. I haven't been able to replicate the serum."

"I don't give a shit about the serum, Howard!" Sigyn snapped. "Not anymore. Not if it's going to destroy you. You have to let it go. Please."

"I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises. Oh, I got something else for you as well. I made… some arrangements."

"What sort of arrangements?"

"When I die, Tony will take over the Stark Industries, but I don't know who the new Director of SHIELD will be. Nevertheless, I made sure the Director will be the only person you're going to have to work with. I know personal attachments with mortals are painful for you. So, once we're gone, you're never going to lose another friend, because you're never going to have to make them in the first place. You're going be an Alpha member, with a Clearance Level 10, and only the Director is going to know about you. This has everything he, or she is going to need to know."

He took out a briefcase. Sigyn wiped away a few stray tears with the back of her hand. She couldn't believe she had forced Howard to think of the aftermath of his own death.

"I also bought you a house in Tonsberg. That was your mother's town, right? If someone comes for the Tesseract, and SHIELD fails to protect you, you can hide in there. The house is registered under the name Helga Tiersen, not Sharon Tyler, so no one will be able to find that place. I even got you a Norwegian passport and all."

Sigyn was left speechless. He offered her the briefcase, but she was too baffled to move her arms and take it.

"It's alright, Sigyn. Take it. I'm the futurist. I have to think of the future beyond my own time."

…

Sigyn had hoped Howard's relationship with his son would improve after that night, but she had been mistaken. It only became worse. When he wasn't busy running Stark Industries as the CEO, he was busy fighting the Cold War as the Director of SHIELD. In the end, Howard sent him off to a boarding school, despite Maria's pleas. SHIELD kept Peggy, too, busy, but at least she knew how to balance work and family. Unlike Tony, her children were old enough to know about SHIELD now, and they had decided to have less dangerous lives themselves. Her great-niece was a different story, though. After her parents' death, Peggy had raised Michael's son as his own. And when Michael Carter Jr. had got married and had a daughter, Peggy had been a grandmother to her. She had even wanted to name her after Sigyn, but since a Nordic name would be too conspicuous, she had given the child Sigyn's "American" name instead. Sharon might be just a little girl, but she was determined to live up to her great-aunt's legacy and join SHIELD when she grew up. Although nepotism wasn't tolerated at SHIELD, deep down, Sigyn was hoping Sharon would become the Director of SHIELD one day, so that at least she wouldn't have to work with a complete stranger.

That was, until one day Queen Frigga's projection appeared in her living room.

"My queen," she said with a quick curtsy. "Forgive me, I wasn't expecting you."

"It's alright, Sigyn. I love you as a daughter; you don't need to fear me."

"Of course I don't _fear _you, my queen. It's just…" She paused, at a loss for words. Every time someone from Asgard wanted to have a word with her, she wondered if Loki had done something stupid. They hadn't spoken in decades, but she knew him well. He wasn't someone who would give up so easily. She had a feeling like he was winding up. For what, it remained to be seen.

Frigga looked at her with her usual warm smile. "You have built yourself a good life here. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you."

"However, there are things you don't know." Her smile faded, revealing the deep concern she had been hiding from Sigyn.

"What sort of things?"

"SHIELD."

"SHIELD? What of it?"

"They cannot be trusted with the Tesseract. Howard Stark was right to hide his discovery from the world, though even he is not aware of the real threat. Heimdall told us years ago, but Odin and I weren't sure when to tell you. But we've finally decided that it's time you know. And that you should hear it from me. This is not going to be easy for you."

"Hear what, exactly? My queen, please… What's going on?"

"HYDRA. They have been slowly taking over SHIELD since it was founded."

Sigyn frowned in confusion. What Frigga had said didn't make any sense. "HYDRA? But it was destroyed years ago. When the Red Skull died—"

"HYDRA did not start with the Red Skull, and it certainly did not end with him. Take a seat, Sigyn. I will explain everything."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I wrote two more chapters to be able to bring Carol Danvers into the story. This is one of those chapters. I saw **_**Captain Marvel**_** twice in the cinema (it was awesome, btw), but I might still have got some details wrong. I hope you like it.**

* * *

Sigyn didn't know how she was going to keep working with SHIELD from now on. She didn't know how she was going to look Peggy and Howard in the eye and lie to them either. But she did what she had to do to protect them.

Things started to take a more interesting turn in 1988, when Howard called for an emergency meeting with the "inner circle" one day. She had thought it would be just the three of them, but there were a group of other agents in the meeting room. Dr. Wendy Lawson, a scientist who worked on Project PEGASUS, she remembered, and her assistants.

"Hello, Sigyn," Peggy greeted her, and Sigyn looked at her in confusion. They would never say her true name in front of others.

"Did you tell these people who I really am?"

"Yes."

"Why?" If they had decided to share the truth with Lawson and her team without consulting with Sigyn first, it must have been for a good reason. Nevertheless, Sigyn had to ask.

"Because they're going to tell you who they really are. Just don't overreact when you hear it, alright?"

"Actually, they never had to tell me anything. I already knew who you were, Lady Sigyn," Lawson broke in. "And when I realized how open-minded Stark and Carter were about alien races, I decided to be honest with them. I am Mar-Vell of Hala. I believe we can help each other."

"Kree," Sigyn hissed, and conjured her sword, but Mar-Vell remained still, so did her "assistants." Peggy put a hand on Sigyn's shoulder to stop him from attacking them.

Howard sighed. "Here we go…"

"Sigyn, I know what you think of the Kree, but just hear her out. Please," Peggy insisted.

"I was wondering when your kind would show up to steal the Tesseract."

"I'm not here to steal the Tesseract. All I want is to put it to good use."

"And by 'good use,' I assume you mean 'war'?"

"No. I want to end wars. Permanently."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

Her smile widened, and she turned to the others behind her. "Allow me to show you."

And the so-called assistants revealed their true selves. Sigyn had expected them to be Kree, like their leader, but they were something far worse. Skrulls. This was a nightmare. How could Heimdall not have warned her about this?

"What kind of game are you playing?" The Kree and the Skrulls were ancient enemies, everyone knew that. Were they now working together to get the Tesseract?

"Look at you," Mar-Vell said softly. "You have such a good heart, yet you've let Asgard fill it with hatred. You can't even imagine a Kree who wants to help Skrull refugees."

"Your people have earned their reputation."

"I do not represent my people, no more than you represent yours."

Sigyn turned to Peggy. "Are you really going to trust this Kree scum? Come on, Peggy, you're smarter than this."

"Years ago, we chose to trust you. Everything turned out to be fine. I think Lawson deserves a chance to prove her worth as well."

"What _exactly_ are you planning to do with the Tesseract?" she asked the Kree woman this time.

"I'm hoping to harness its energy to power a Light-Speed Engine, so that these refugees can go far away and start a new life. Once it's done, you can have it back. I give you my word. But I know my word is not good enough for you, so I allow you to look into my mind. I know you're a powerful sorceress."

She looked at Skrulls. They were all looking at her with… fear. One of the females was pregnant. "Are there more of you?"

They nodded.

"Sigyn, a word in private?" Howard asked tensely.

They went to his private office. "Alright, me first," Sigyn started. "Prove that you're not a Skrull. Tell me something personal."

"My biggest regret is not being able to find Steve Rogers."

"No offense, but that's a bit too obvious."

He thought for a moment, then said, "If I were an Asgardian, I'd be in cup making business."

"Not bad, but you can do better."

"In 1974, I bought you in a house in Tonsberg, registered under the name of Helga Tiersen."

"Okay, this is definitely you… Now, please tell me you don't support this madness."

"Actually, I'm with Peggy on this."

"Damn you, Howard…"

"Sigyn, look… If you say Lawson can't be trusted, I'll take your word for it, and none of those aliens leave the building alive. But first, just put that Asgardian prejudice aside for a moment, and think as one of us."

Howard seemed truly desperate, so she decided to see what this was about. "Fine."

"Look at me. What do you see?"

"Is this a riddle?"

"You see an old man. That's what I am now. My work with the Tesseract is far from complete, but my days are numbered."

"Don't say such things!"

"It's the truth, and we both know that. Anyway, my point is, I've been looking for someone who could take over my research. If Lawson is telling the truth about ending wars, then she's the perfect candidate."

"You have your son."

Well, Howard and Tony's relationship wasn't as strained as it used to be, but that was mostly because there wasn't much of a relationship anymore. After graduating from MIT last year, Tony had gone to study abroad, and he wasn't in a hurry to earn a graduate degree. It was just an excuse for him not to come home.

"I don't want Tony to become a part of SHIELD. Ever. I thought a lot about this, believe me. I ruined his childhood with my mistakes. He deserves a normal life. As normal as it can be. I owe him that much."

So, Tony was never going to deal with SHIELD, therefore HYDRA. Sigyn's relief was beyond words, though she wasn't allow to express it in front of Howard.

"You said it yourself," he continued. "Asgard considers us a lesser world, and doesn't want things to change. We need new allies. Allies who won't look down on us."

"Are you serious?"

"Hey, you're the one who taught me to think on a universal scale, remember?"

"Working with two of the most despicable races in the universe wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said that."

"There's something else. Something I haven't told Peggy."

"What is it?"

"I think something is wrong with SHIELD. Now, I know what you're going to say, but I'm not being paranoid. Not this time. We might have to make strange bedfellows."

Howard wasn't being paranoid. Actually, he was making a good argument. Now that she thought about it, it was indeed the Asgardian teachings that stopped her from thinking reasonably. Maybe she should tell him about HYDRA, after all. And maybe, Mar-Vell was their best chance to keep the Tesseract from HYDRA's reach. It certainly wasn't safe with SHIELD, not while there were so many dormant HYDRA agents among them.

"Lawson says she has a secret laboratory in Earth's orbit," he went on. "She wants to take the cube there."

Clever. It was actually even better that the Tesseract wasn't going to have a fixed coordinate. "I must stay with the cube, then."

"The Tesseract won't be going anywhere. Sigyn, we need you here. Now more than ever."

They surely did, but still… "I'm going to read her mind. And the minds of the Skrulls as well. Then I'm going to see that lab of hers with my own eyes. These are my conditions."

"Good, because I'll be coming with you."

Sigyn cocked an eyebrow. Howard had never left his home planet before. "Are you sure?"

"Just because I'm desperate doesn't mean I'm going to trust a bunch of aliens blindly. I must see that lab with my own eyes as well. Peggy will stay here, so that we can send her a distress signal if the whole thing is a trap."

"Does Maria know about this trip?" If Howard was planning to leave Midgard, even if it was for a short time, his wife had a right to know.

"She does. She'll only let me go if you're there to babysit me."

"She's a smart woman."

"I think I always knew I'd go to space with you, on way or the other. Come, let's go back to the others."

They returned to the meeting room. Mar-Vell let Sigyn read her mind, as promised. Sigyn saw her memories: Her conflicts with the rest of the Kree, her shame, her compassion, her desire to end wars. When she looked into the mind of the Skrulls, she mostly saw fear, but they were honest, too. While working in Project PEGASUS, Mar-Vell had successfully upgraded a Midgardian plane for space travels. They were going to take it, and Sigyn was going to leave her Asgardian ship for Peggy in case something went wrong.

…

"Nervous?" Sigyn teased Howard as Mar-Vell initiated the take-off.

"No," Howard said, but she knew him well enough to see that was a lie. It didn't matter how much humans knew about the universe, or how much they trusted their extraterrestrial companions; they always got nervous when they had to leave Earth. She decided not to take it personal and to leave him be. He would get used to not being on his home planet soon. He was adaptable.

All of a sudden, an orange cat appeared out of nowhere and jumped on Mar-Vell's lap. She scratched its ears. "Everyone, meet my pet, Goose."

Sigyn involuntarily flinched when she realized Goose might not be what it seemed. It was now Howard's turn to tease her. "What's the matter? I thought witches liked cats."

"I'm not a witch. And I highly doubt that beast is a cat."

The Kree woman winced apologetically. "You might be right."

"How did you manage to tame a Flerken?"

"Oh, I don't think anyone can _tame_ them. But Goose and I share a mutual understanding. Right, Goose?"

The creature purred in response.

"Do I want to know what a Flerken is?" Howard asked.

"Believe me, you don't," Sigyn replied, then asked Mar-Vell, "How come the Kree Empire hasn't killed you yet?"

"They haven't found me. But I'm sure they're looking."

"I know your intentions are good, but it doesn't change the fact that you're putting this realm into grave danger. You know that, right?"

"Odin is the one who put C-53 in danger. If the Tesseract were on another planet, I'd be there right now."

"What if they sent the Accusers?"

"Who are the Accusers?"

Sigyn decided to be honest with him. "A ruthless Kree army who solves problems by wiping out entire civilizations."

"Wonderful. All I needed was more paranoia in my life."

"It won't come to that," Mar-Vell said. "They won't risk provoking Odin. If they find me, they'll most likely send the Starforce."

"Kree black-ops unit?" Howard asked this time.

Mar-Vell nodded. "You can say that."

"So, who's your emperor?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Sigyn said 'the Kree Empire.' You can't have an empire without an emperor."

"We don't have an emperor. The Supreme Intelligence is our leader."

"Is he a reasonable guy?"

"He's an AI," Sigyn elaborated, giving him a _"Do not even THINK of making an alliance with the Supreme Intelligence" _look at the same time.

Howard laughed. "A civilization led by an AI, huh?"

"I see you've started having fun, Howard."

"Sometimes you just have to go with the flow."

"We're here," Mar-Vell announced, and disabled the cloaking system of her secret lab. It must have been a Kree cruiser originally. Sigyn wasn't impressed much, but Howard looked like he had discovered a priceless treasure.

"Consider me impressed."

After they docked, Mar-Vell gave them a tour around the lab. The place wasn't empty. The rest of the Skrull refugees were hiding here. They seemed grateful to Sigyn and Howard for agreeing to this arrangement. Soon, the latter was surrounded by Skrulls, who were eager to answer his questions, while Sigyn summoned the Tesseract from her pocket dimension and gave it to Mar-Vell.

"Do not make me regret this, Kree. You might have impressed my friends with your _'I'm going to end wars'_ philosophy, but I've been around for much longer than they have. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Mar-Vell looked out the window at Midgard. "It's a shame, isn't it?"

"Excuse me?"

"What's happening to SHIELD, it's such a shame. The inhabitants of this planet have so much potential, but their inner conflicts will keep holding them back for a very long time, I fear."

"You know," Sigyn whispered.

"Yes."

"Is that why you decided to reveal yourself?"

"Yes. The Tesseract wasn't safe with SHIELD. See? That's why we need each other."

"How did you find out?"

"Oh, come now, Lady Sigyn. Like you, I've been around for much longer than your friends have. Are you going to tell them?"

"I haven't decided yet. Though Howard clearly suspects something."

"I believe we can destroy HYDRA together."

"_We_? Not so fast…"

"Please, Lady Sigyn. You know you're going to need all the help you can get. Once the Skrull refugees are safe, I'll owe this planet a debt, too. This is how I intend to repay it. After all, one of my kind's worst creations is the reason HYDRA exists in the first place."

So, Mar-Vell knew of the true origins of HYDRA… Strange bedfellows, indeed.


	12. Chapter 12

"Sigyn, it's ready. The supersoldier serum, it's ready."

"A—are you sure?" She knew Howard had never stopped working on it, but to be honest, she didn't expect him to actually succeed. She had given up on hope years ago. Also, considering the fact that nothing had been going as planned in the last three years, she hadn't been expecting to hear any good news today when the phone had rung.

Mar-Vell had promised her to help them fight against HYDRA, but a year later, she had been killed by the Starforce. The human pilot who had been with her had been taken by the Kree. Sigyn hadn't been able to save her in time. And three months ago, Mr. Jarvis had been diagnosed with lymphoma.

"Look, Sigyn, I know I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it. But I want you to think this through. The formula is safe, for _humans_. When it comes to you, nothing is certain."

Sigyn chuckled softly. In his youth, he believed everything could be calculated, therefore predicted. Even her nature. Time had proven him wrong. "I don't care. I want it, even if it kills me."

"Even if it doesn't kill you, it's going to hurt. A lot."

"I'm not afraid of pain."

"And you call _me_ obsessive…"

"Let's just do it, shall we?" She had said she wasn't scared, but she wasn't exactly looking forward to it either. And the longer she waited, the more nervous she would get.

"Fine. Remember the warehouse in Upstate New York? Maria and I'll meet you there tonight. How is Jarvis, by the way? Can you leave him alone for a few hours?"

Mr. Jarvis was almost… relieved after his diagnosis—all he wanted was to be reunited with his beloved Ana—but everyone else was, naturally, devastated. He was being treated by the best doctors in New York, of course, but they had all agreed that Sigyn would take care of him better than any human nurse or caretaker possibly could. So, Mr. Jarvis was staying in Sigyn's penthouse. Tony didn't know about his illness yet. He was studying at Cambridge now, and when he came home for Christmas, Howard was going to tell him that he had sent Mr. Jarvis to a nursing home. They were probably going to have a quarrel.

"Mr. Jarvis is well today." It wasn't a lie.

"Good. And Sigyn…"

"Yes?"

"Peggy doesn't know about the serum. I'd like to keep it that way for now."

"I see." Howard probably didn't trust her after what had happened with Captain Rogers' blood. Which also reminded her… "If the serum works, what are you going to do with it?"

"SHIELD is going to start looking for volunteers, of course."

_So is HYDRA_, she thought. She hadn't told anyone about HYDRA yet. Odin, Frigga and Heimdall all believed mortals had to discover this on their own. And more importantly, the knowledge alone would put her friends in grave danger. Still, hiding the truth from them didn't feel right. But once she told them the truth, there would be no taking it back. She had to think this through very, very carefully.

"I'll see you tonight," she said, and hung up the phone.

…

Howard and Maria were waiting for her in the warehouse by the time Sigyn got there. They were alone, but Howard had had the place readied for the experiment. There was a medical bed, an electrocardiograph machine, defibrillator, oxygen mask, and other various equipment. Sigyn was quite familiar with Midgardian medicine now. She had to be, if she wanted to take good care of Mr. Jarvis.

Maria seemed even more nervous than Howard. "Sigyn, are you _absolutely_ sure about this? Howard told me how desperate you were when you first came here, but…"

Sigyn held her hands. "This is my choice. But before we start, there is something else I have to tell you."

She had made up her mind. Howard said the procedure was dangerous. She might not survive it. She couldn't let the serum fall into the wrong hands. She couldn't risk taking HYDRA's secrets to the grave. She was going to tell them everything before the experiment, while she still could.

"What is it?" Howard asked.

"Howard, I know how important SHIELD is to you, so there is no easy way to say this, but… You were right. SHIELD has been compromised."

"By whom?"

"HYDRA. Queen Frigga told me a few years ago. I've been trying to decide whether I should tell you or not since then."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Give me a list of the double agents, I'll take care of them."

Only then, she realized he had no idea how deep the corruption went. "Howard, it's not that simple. I'm not talking about a handful of traitors here."

He and Maria swapped looks. Then he said, "Tell me."

"It started with Operation Paperclip."

"Damn! I should've never approved it! Those Nazis were still loyal to Schmidt!"

"You couldn't have known, Howard," Maria said softly. "You just wanted to give those people a second chance."

"Johann Schmidt was just the tip of the iceberg, believe me."

Howard looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"It means HYDRA wasn't just a Nazi science division. It started long before that. Do you remember what I told you about the Kree? Their rumored experiments?"

"Were they successful?"

"Yes. Those mortals call themselves Inhumans. One, and perhaps the most powerful of them, was banished from Midgard thousands of years ago. HYDRA is a cult that worships this Inhuman. Their ultimate goal is to bring him back. Mar-Vell knew this. Once the refugees were safe, she was going to help us destroy HYDRA. She felt… responsible, I guess. We've been gathering evidence. Here, take a look."

She opened the bag she had brought with her, and showed all the evidence they had been collecting. Mostly books on history, iconography, and symbolic anthropology.

"They do everything they can to keep that Inhuman sated until they find a way to bring him back. Secret meetings, sacrificial blood rituals, it was all a part of history. The sacrifices are sent to the Inhuman through some kind of portal. They're everywhere, yet no one sees them. This symbol, for example. It looks like a ram's head, right? You can find this on ancient family insignias, or carved on the walls of castles… It kept evolving, though. Sometimes the symbol took more… subtle forms, until the organization finally took the name and the shape of a certain mythological sea monster."

Maria gasped. "Hydra…"

"Yes."

"I remember this one," Howard interrupted, placing his finger on a symbol in one of the books. "The Arena Club. In my youth, they tried to recruit me for years, until Whitney Frost destroyed them. And I thought they were just an old boys' club…"

"HYDRA has different factions. Not all the members are aware of this secret history. But the 'heads,' the ones who pull the strings… Families like the Malicks, von Struckers… You can't fight them all by yourself, Howard."

Howard ran a hand through his white hair. "This is bad. No, this is… Damn, how could I let this happen?"

Maria pulled him into an embrace to calm him down. Sigyn was really glad she was here. Maria was the only one who could control him when he was upset.

"Oh, Sigyn, how can we stop this?" she asked.

"I don't know, Maria. But no help will come from Asgard. They only warned me because they wanted me to keep the Tesseract away from them. We're on our own."

"SHIT!" Howard broke free from Maria's embrace and kicked a metal table, knocking it over. "I'm going to have to fix this," he muttered frantically.

"Howard, please don't make me regret telling you."

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Alright, so SHIELD is lost… What about the government? Can they be trusted?"

"Yes. For now."

"Good."

"You sound like you have a plan."

"I do. I'll go to the Pentagon and tell them everything, take full responsibility."

Maria gasped. "Howard, they're going to turn you into a scapegoat!"

"They should. SHIELD was my idea."

"Howard, please! If you don't think of yourself, think of me! Think of our son!"

That made him hesitate for a moment. Then he said, "The serum… Maybe, if I give them the serum, as a sign of good faith…"

Sigyn nodded. It was actually a good idea. "You might earn a pardon."

"Exactly. First, I'm going to keep my promise to you, though. One supersoldier saved the world from HYDRA before, if there's anyone who can do it again, it's you. What do you say, Sigyn?"

"You know the answer."

"Alright, then. Let's do this.

Maria helped her shed her coat, and then her dress, leaving her only in a tank top and a pair of leggings. Then she lied down in the bed, and Maria tied her down.

"Just to make sure you won't hurt yourself," she explained.

In the meantime, Howard had prepared an IV bag with a blue solution inside. He seemed more anxious than Sigyn.

"It's alright. You were going to have to test it on someone, anyway."

"You're not just some random volunteer. You're my friend. If this goes wrong, I won't be able to do anything to save you, do you understand?"

"For a thousand years, I believed I couldn't change who I was. Now you offer me a chance. You have no idea what that means to me. Even if I die tonight, I'll regret nothing."

When the needle pierced her arm, all she felt was a tingling sensation at first. In a matter of minutes, the sensation spread to the rest of her body. She smiled. If this was the pain Howard had been talking about, he had been worried for no reason.

But then, the sensation became more intense, until she thought every single cell in her body was on fire. She was trying to remain calm, but for how long she could keep doing it, she wasn't sure.

"Howard, what's happening to me? Is this normal?"

"Yes. Instant cellular transformation. Just hold on, pal. You're doing great. Just hold on for a few more minutes."

Sigyn closed her eyes. She could feel Maria's hand gently stroking her hair. _A few more minutes_. Then she would be rid of her curse. She would never be weak again. She bit her lip, and tried to think of her father and sister. They were going to be so proud… And everyone who had ever insulted and ridiculed her for being a "half-breed," they would learn to respect her. She tried to remember all of them. Lorelei, most of all…

She opened her mouth to ask Howard how much longer this would last, but all that came out was a scream. She didn't know how this could be possible, but the pain had become even worse. It became unbearable. There was no thought, no memory, no motivation that could help her now. She should have never agreed to this. No amount of strength was worth this torture.

Howard turned his back, like he couldn't bear the sight of this, but Maria extended her arms.

"No! Stay away from me! I don't want to hurt you!"

Maria must have understood how serious this was, because she immediately took a few steps back. Sigyn's back arched as she struggled against the shackles, and when she finally broke free, she rolled on to the floor.

The rest was blank. When she came back, she was lying in the bed again.

"Sigyn?" Howard was shaking her gently. "Come on, pal. We've come this far. Come on, don't die on me now."

"I'm fine," she forced herself to say. It had taken all her strength. Her eyes were still closed, but she heard him release a deep breath of relief.

"You scared us," Maria said. She helped her sit up and brought her a glass of water. She took it with trembling hands, but she needed the water, because the screaming had left her with a sore throat.

"Look at her muscles, Howard. I think it worked."

He studied her carefully from head to toe. "It seems so… Sigyn? How do you feel?"

"Tired, but also… strong. I don't even know how that can be possible."

"Give yourself a moment to adjust."

They waited in silence for some time. The pain had already become a distant memory, and her strength was coming back to her. She looked at her arms and legs; they were indeed much more muscular now. Well, she couldn't say she looked like Thor, but she could both see and feel the difference.

"If you want to test your strength, be my guest," Howard said. He seemed to be eager to see the results of his hard work.

She looked around, and decided to use the front door. It was made of reinforced steel. She went up to it, and punched it with all the newly-found strength she had. She expected her knuckles to bleed afterward, but they didn't even hurt, and there was a dent on the spot she had punched. She punched the same spot again. And again. After the third punch, there was a hole in the door. It had worked.

She hugged Howard. There were tears in her eyes, but they were tears of joy. Howard was the first person who had given her hope. And he hadn't failed her. "Thank you, my friend. Thank you."

"You owe me a new gate, you know that, right?"

She released him. "I owe you a lot more than a gate. Like I said, I'm now forever in your debt now."

"I knew you'd do it," Maria said, and kissed him. "I'm so proud of my husband."

A look of concern crossed his face. "And I was almost going to hand this to HYDRA…"

"Asgard didn't want me to tell you."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because I don't take my orders from Asgard anymore." She went to fetch her clothes, and put them back on.

Maria looked at her first, and then Howard. "What now?"

"Let's wait until Tony comes home for Christmas, and not tell Peggy anything in the meantime."

"Do you want me to take them to another realm until HYDRA is dealt with? With the Tesseract, I can—"

"No, no… That's too extreme. Jarvis will be with you, Peggy with her family, and Tony will throw a party the moment we leave the house. He'll be safe with a crowd."

"What about Maria?"

He looked at his wife, and thought for a moment. "She's coming with me. I'll keep her safe."

"Good," she said, although there was now an uneasy feeling about this in her stomach. Had she done the right thing by telling them?

"Maria, dear, why don't you wait for me in the car? There's something I want Sigyn to have, then we can go home."

Maria walked out of the warehouse, but not without giving Howard a questioning look first.

"Come," he told Sigyn once they were alone. He took her to a small, dusty room in the basement, and took a large hard case from one of the shelves.

_Property of H. Stark_

"What's this?"

"You were supposed to give this to Tony one day, remember?"

"Right… Your secret message."

"If things go south in Washington, I want you to make sure he'll never find out about SHIELD. _Never_, do you understand? I know I'm being such a hypocrite, but he can't know about you either. He's smart. Even if you tell him only a part of the truth, he'll figure out the rest himself."

"I'm confused. Do you want him to know about the element, or no?"

"Only if you think he really needs it one day. I trust your judgment. But even then, please try not to get directly involved."

"Oh, Howard…"

"Look, this is just the worst case measure, okay? There's no one I trust more than you. Take this, and wait until you hear from me again."

She nodded. "Be careful."

"Steve was a good man," he suddenly said. "But I was wrong to think he was this world's only hope. All this time, the hero we needed was standing right before me. I was just too blind to see that."

_No_, she wanted to say._ I've seen the future. I'm no hero._ This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. The strength she had always dreamt of was finally hers. But right now, all she felt was fear.

"I'm deeply honored. But I can't be the new Captain America. You know that."

"You don't have to wear a costume, or sign autographs. Steve wasn't very good at that part either. If you have to work in the shadows, so be it."

"I'll do whatever I can."

Howard smiled, and hugged her. "Everything's going to be alright, pal. Don't worry."

"Good luck, Howard."

…

For most mortals, Christmas was the best time of the year. But this year, Sigyn didn't think she could share the holiday spirit with the rest of the realm. Mr. Jarvis wasn't getting any better. He had received another dose of treatment earlier today, and had lost his appetite since then. He had been able to eat a small bowl of chicken soup, but that was all. And now that their son was home, Howard and Maria were flying to DC tonight. Sigyn didn't think she could sleep until she heard from them.

"Lady Sigyn… Lady Sigyn, would you please sit down?"

Sigyn froze on the spot, and looked at Mr. Jarvis. She had been pacing up and down in the living room while Mr. Jarvis was reading—or, at least, pretended to be reading—a book in the corner. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jarvis. Do you need anything?"

Before he could reply, the phone rang. Sigyn's first reaction was to check the clock on the wall. It was nine in the evening. This didn't make any sense. Howard and Maria were supposed to be on their private plane right now. Had the plans changed?

Perhaps deep down, she knew she was being too optimistic. She dreaded answering this call. The phone rang again.

She picked it up with trembling hands.

"Hello?"

"Sigyn?" The sob that came from the other end of the line told Sigyn everything she needed. She should probably say something to Peggy, pretend to be clueless, but all she was able to do was to cover her mouth with a hand. _Peggy doesn't know. She can never know._

"Howard and Maria," Peggy went on, ignoring the lack of response. "They… they're gone, Sigyn. I'm so sorry. I don't even know what to do…"

"Who killed them?" Suddenly, the sadness was taken over by rage.

"What? No one_ killed_ them. It was a car accident. Howard was going to take Maria to the Bahamas for Christmas. They were on their way to the airport."

Damn. She had slipped. "Oh, right…"

"Sigyn?" Peggy asked suspiciously. "Do you know something? Were they really going to the Bahamas?"

"As far as I know, yes. I just thought… Howard had too many enemies, and—"

"There's going to be an autopsy. I'm calling from the hospital right now. Obadiah Stane is going to bring Tony, so you probably shouldn't be here. I'll keep you updated, alright?"

"Thanks, Peggy."

"Sigyn?"

"Yes?"

"Will you tell Mr. Jarvis?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, now I must—"

Sigyn heard a cracking sound, and the receiver broke in half. Only then, she realized how hard she had been squeezing it. She also felt the surge of magic building up inside her against her will.

"Mr. Jarvis, watch out!"

She had warned him just in time, because one second later, she was no longer able to contain the surge. It exploded, and the invisible blast scattered every object in the room. Mr. Jarvis had taken cover behind a column. She didn't have to tell him anything. They both knew their beloved friends hadn't died in a car accident.

"Mr. Jarvis, what have I done? What have I done?" She broke into sobs.

"My lady, it wasn't your fault," he said, but he was crying, too.

She knew she would lose all her mortal friends one day. It had started with Ana, and now… But with Ana, there was only grief, at least. No matter how painful it was, it was only grief. But this… There were no words to describe what she had done to Howard and Maria.

She collapsed on her knees. "I killed them! Mr. Jarvis, I _killed_ them!"

"No. It was HYDRA. It was HYDRA, not you."

"They warned me. Queen Frigga, Heimdall, the Allfather… They all warned me. I should've listened…"

"Lady Sigyn?" he said, as if he needed something from her.

"Yes?"

"I lost them, too," he said in a small, gentle voice, but it was enough for Sigyn to remember that Mr. Jarvis knew Howard longer than she did. And Howard had died before the two men could repair the rift between them. Mr. Jarvis was never going to know if he was forgiven for giving Steve Rogers' blood to Peggy.

"I know. I'm so sorry, Mr. Jarvis."

Sigyn hugged him, and they cried in each other's arms, sitting on the floor, for what seemed like an eternity. Mr. Jarvis was the one who let go first. He wiped his tears, then in a dutiful manner, said, "You should probably send me to an actual nursing home."

"What?" she cried. "Mr. Jarvis, I'm not leaving you!"

"Master Tony will surely want to see me. So, unless we wish to disrespect Mr. Stark's last wish…"

Right, the boy… More tears fell from her eyes when she realized that the poor boy was now an orphan because of her. But Mr. Jarvis was right. Tony loved him. He wouldn't leave him to die in a nursing home.

"Don't worry, Lady Sigyn. I'll be taken good care of."

"I don't doubt that."

"Lady Sigyn, I have to ask… Did Miss Carter mention the formula being found in the car?"

"No…"

"Then we must assume HYDRA stole it. We don't know how they had the information, but if they knew about the serum…"

"Then they might know about me as well," she gasped in horror. "And the Tesseract… What am I supposed to tell Peggy?"

After Mar-Vell had died, Sigyn had brought the cube back to Midgard. It was in SHIELD's possession once again.

"You must take the Tesseract back to Dr. Lawson's laboratory. Tell Miss Carter that the refugees still need it. Please, my lady… We have to stay strong, for both Master Tony and Miss Carter."

She scrambled to her feet, then helped him stand up as well and sit down in an armchair. He had made some good arguments. She felt like her very soul had been shattered into a thousand pieces right now, but there was still work to be done. "You try to get some rest, Mr. Jarvis. I'll take care of everything."


	13. Chapter 13

The autopsy had "confirmed" that it was an accident, but this only proved how powerful HYDRA had grown. Sigyn had read the official report. Howard's skull had been cracked, and Maria's neck had been broken. The mere words she had read on a piece of paper were going to haunt her for the rest of her life. If only there was a way to know what kind of assassin HYDRA had sent after them to do this…

At least they were being put to rest as heroes. Sigyn didn't have the mental strength to cast a cloaking spell during the funeral, but she couldn't miss it either. So, here she was, standing next to Peggy once again. Daniel was holding her left hand. Without a word, Sigyn took the other. They were keeping their distance, Mr. Jarvis was doing his best pretending he didn't know them, but Tony was still stealing suspicious glances in their direction. He had never met Sigyn, and he thought Peggy Carter was just some kind of liaison to Stark Industries. His face was perfectly neutral, but that was just an act. He was his father's son, after all. Like Mr. Jarvis had predicted, Tony had brought him back to the Long Island Mansion immediately, with the best nurse money could hire. Mr. Jarvis feared for him, though. He said grief was consuming Tony, and he was acting more reckless and irresponsible than usual. Mr. Jarvis' attempts to talk him out of it had failed so far. If he kept going like this, he was probably going to drink himself to death at the age of 21. Sigyn thought of using magic to help him, but then realized Howard probably wouldn't want anyone to mess with his son's mind, not even Sigyn. Besides, any form of mind manipulation was dark magic.

After the funeral, she told Peggy that the Skrulls still needed the Tesseract, as Mr. Jarvis had instructed and went to Mar-Vell's lab. Even if Peggy suspected something, she didn't ask any questions. Perhaps deep down, she knew ignorance would keep her and her family safe. For the first time since Sigyn had come to Midgard, she felt like she was in an exile. A well-deserved one. She barely ate and slept, whiled the days away by doing nothing but staring into the abyss. That was how Odin himself found her.

"Sigyn," he said coldly.

Sigyn should probably stand up and greet him properly, but she didn't.

"What is my punishment?" she asked instead, hoping Odin would keep his promise and put her in the same cell with Lorelei. Anything less than that would be too merciful. And death would be too quick. She deserved to suffer.

"Your beloved friends died because of your arrogance. That's punishment enough for you."

Perhaps he was right. Any other punishment might ease her guilt, and she didn't deserve such a relief. Still, the Starks had to be avenged. "Who killed them?"

"HYDRA, as you already know."

"Yes, but _who_?"

"Have you still not learned your lesson? You are here to protect the Tesseract. You should _not_ meddle with other mortal affairs."

"This is not a mortal affair. I want _my _revenge, and I shall have it."

She was going to kill those monsters with the darkest, most painful magic she knew. That was the least she could do for Howard and Maria.

"You shall do no such thing. You shall stay with the Tesseract, and keep it safe at any cost. That is all." With these words, the Allfather's projection disappeared, and she returned to her mourning.

…

"_Howard and Maria, I bid you take your place in the halls of Valhalla,_

_Where the brave shall live forever. Nor shall we mourn but rejoice_

_For those that have died the glorious death."_

"That's an Asgardian prayer," Soren said curiously. Soren was the pregnant Skrull she had seen when Mar-Vell had revealed herself to Sigyn. They had become good friends after Sigyn had helped her deliver the baby.

"It's a prayer for all the brave men and women of the Nine Realms." Those were the exact words her father had told Sigyn when she had caught him praying after her mother's death.

"Howard Stark was a good man. We wouldn't be here if he hadn't trusted us."

Sigyn got back on her feet. "I wish I could finish what Mar-Vell started, Soren. I really do. I know how to harness energy from the Tesseract, I once used it to take two of my friends to Asgard. But I can't take you somewhere I don't know."

"Don't worry about that now. We're safe. I didn't mean to interrupt you, but we have a guest."

"A guest?"

"Your husband. I don't know how he even found this place, but he's here."

"Loki?" she cried. What was Loki doing here?"

"Hello, Sigyn," Loki himself broke in. There was no anger, or even cruel triumph in his voice. He wasn't here to say _"I told you so."_ Soren left to give them to some privacy.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he started once they were alone.

"Are you?" she asked skeptically.

"My mother said Howard Stark finally did it. He made you stronger."

"He did."

"Are you happy?"

"I got him and his wife killed, Loki. I'm not _happy_."

"No, I mean, are you happy with your newly found strength?"

"Yes. I'll be forever in Howard's debt."

"Then so will I."

She gave him a questioning look.

"We still share a life, remember? Even if you don't want me anymore, I know you're still faithful to me. You're the Goddess of Fidelity, after all."

"And my fidelity gets people killed!"

"Is that why you push me away?"

She shivered. Did he know?

"I'm no fool, Sigyn. I know you're afraid of something. You don't have to tell me. Tonight, I'm only here to share your pain. And help you pay our debt of gratitude to the Starks."

"How?"

"I heard Heimdall tell my parents something. I think he and my mother hold themselves responsible to some degree for what happened, but as usual, my father said the wisest thing to do was to do nothing."

"But you disagree?"

"I think it's something that can ease your conscience."

"I don't deserve to be relieved of this guilt after what I—"

"Just hear me out, alright?"

"Alright."

"Howard has a granddaughter."

"What?" This could be the last thing she had expected to hear. She had expected a name. The name of the assassin, the bastard who had given the order, or the traitor who somehow knew about the supersoldier serum… The name of someone she could kill. "Are you certain?"

"I am. She was born only a few days ago, in a city called London."

"Who is the mother?"

"Her name is Irene Clarke, and she is very ill. Heimdall doesn't expect her to live for much longer. But more importantly, she doesn't want to give the child to her father."

"To whom will she give her, then?"

"No one. When her parents discovered the pregnancy, they convinced her not to kill the unborn child, but after the birth, she came up with a different idea. She wants her to grow up as an orphan."

"Why?"

"To get back at the Howardson. She was hoping to become Tony Stark's one true love, but he left her, like he left everyone, so… She is quite vindictive, from what I gathered."

"I'll go to London and talk to Irene Clarke's parents, then. They sound like decent people."

Loki snorted. "_Decent_? Oh, Sigyn, you're so naive… Do you think they care about the child? They want her because they're hoping she'll earn them a fortune or something like that. I don't know if that's even possible, you understand these mortals better than I do."

"Of course it's possible. If Tony refuses to raise the child himself, he's going to have to pay them to do it."

Sigyn understood his confusion. There was no such thing as "refusing to raise your child" in Asgard. Since Asgardian contraception was much more practical and effective, unexpected parenthood was unheard of. Sigyn was, once again, an exception.

The plans of the Clarkes filled her heart with rage. Sure, with the help from the best lawyers, Tony could win this battle. But such greedy mortals wouldn't give up easily either. They wouldn't stop until they turned Tony and his daughter's lives into a nightmare. Sigyn couldn't let that happen.

"I'm going to save the child from those monsters. Can you stay here with the Tesseract until I return?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

Sigyn pulled him into a gentle embrace and kissed his lips to show her gratitude. But deep down, she knew she had failed to change the future.

…

With a SHIELD Clearance Level 10, it wasn't hard for Sigyn to find someone in Midgard. She guessed the child had been conceived while Tony was studying at Cambridge, and she had turned out to be right. Irene Clarke was a graduate student, like Tony, at least her illness forced her to drop out. Stage four breast cancer. And like Loki had said, all she cared about was her posthumous revenge. She refused to hold the baby in her arms, or even look at her. Sigyn would never understand how a mother could be so cruel. Irene's parents were doing their best to convince her to call Tony and tell him about his daughter, but she kept saying she would never forgive them if they ever did such a thing after her inevitable death. Loki was right. The maternal grandparents only hoped to use her to milk money from Tony.

Three weeks later, Irene Clarke died. Sigyn took the baby from the hospital, and used her magic to make sure Irene's parents wouldn't even remember that they had a granddaughter. She didn't know if there were anyone else who knew about Irene's pregnancy, but she could find out later, once she didn't have a mortal baby to take care of. But mortal or Asgardian, Sigyn didn't have much experience with babies. She had only two friends who did: Peggy and Soren. The former was busy with SHIELD these days. Howard's sudden death had left SHIELD in chaos. Peggy was going to sort things out, and once a new Director was appointed, she was going to retire. But that would take time, so Sigyn decided to take Howard's granddaughter to Mar-Vell's lab instead. Soren would care for her until Sigyn decided how to proceed. Luckily, she had been doing a lot of shopping for the Skrull children since Mar-Vell's death, so at least she knew what the baby would need before leaving Midgard.

The Skrull children had never seen a human baby before, so they adored the youngest Stark. Sigyn even took a few pictures of them with an instant camera. Those devices were quite popular among mortals these days, and Sigyn had bought one for the entertainment of the Skrull children. Who knew, maybe one day Howard's granddaughter would see these photos… But then, even if Sigyn decided to introduce herself to Tony one day, giving him a picture of his daughter surrounded by a bunch of pointy-eared green aliens might not be a good idea. So, she let the Skrulls keep the photos instead. It wasn't long before Loki, too, took to her. In fact, Sigyn would sometimes have to remind him that she wasn't theirs to keep.

For two weeks, she tried to figure out the best way to give Tony his daughter. She had to make sure he would at least do a paternity test and not dismiss the idea of fatherhood immediately, but also it couldn't be tracked down to her. By now, she had learned why she had to stay out of mortal affairs. Perhaps Odin had a point. Still, the Stark name was this girl's birthright. If Howard were here, he would never let her grow up in an orphanage. Sigyn had to do the same. She owed him that much. Eventually, she decided to leave her on Tony's doorstep and let Mr. Jarvis take it from there. There would be a lot of unanswered questions, but this was the safest way. She contacted Mr. Jarvis through astral projection, and told him everything. Naturally, he was delighted to hear about the newest member of the Stark family. After Howard and Maria's murder, he had become more eager to fight the sickness that had been consuming him, for he knew Tony needed his support. Now, his eagerness had almost turned into desperation. He wanted to survive, so that he could help Tony raise this child. Once the boy made up his mind, Sigyn would return to London, alter the hospital records, and erase the memories of everyone who knew about the baby, so that he could raise his daughter in peace. It was dark magic, yes, but no amount of dark magic could possibly be more tainted than the hearts of those vicious mortals.

…

"Where are we, Mr. Jarvis?" she asked, looking around. The city seemed unfamiliar.

He smiled. "This is Budapest."

"Where you and Ana met…"

"Yes. Shall we?" he asked, offering Sigyn his arm. She took it, and they started to walk.

After leaving the baby on Tony's doorstep and ringing the bell, Sigyn had cloaked herself invisible and observed. At first, Tony had thought this was just a prank, but Mr. Jarvis had convinced him to go to the hospital and do a paternity test. After they had left, Mr. Jarvis had returned to his room with Sigyn. She wanted to stick around in the Long Island Mansion until Tony made up his mind. Claire Travis, the nurse Tony had hired for Mr. Jarvis, didn't know Sigyn was here either. Mr. Jarvis had told her that he was very tired and he wanted to sleep, so Claire had told him to ring the bell if he needed anything, then retreated to her own room to get a few hours of sleep. He and Sigyn wouldn't be disturbed until Tony returned from the hospital.

To ease his pain, Sigyn would use her magic and give Mr. Jarvis pleasant dreams, just like she used to do to her mother in her final days. And she would let Mr. Jarvis choose the setting of these dreams. This time, for example, he had apparently chosen the city where he and Ana had met. His body might be failing him, but his mind was still strong.

"She is such a lovely baby."

"She is, indeed. But she needs her father."

"And her father needs her. I was so scared for Master Tony. Believe it or not, it's easier for him to mourn his mother. His father, on the other hand… Master Tony is trying so hard to find forgiveness in his heart for him. Unfortunately, he can't. The guilt he feels, it's a terrible thing. He is lost. Fatherhood might give him a new purpose."

"Can you convince him to keep the child?"

"I don't think he's going to need much convincing after the paternity test. He's going to be shocked and confused at first, sure, but he's not the heartless young man he pretends to be."

They both knew that. They also knew it was Howard's cruelty that had forced him to appear so unsentimental. Not to speak ill of the dead, she changed the subject. "So, what do you want to dream about today?"

"The first time I saw Ana… Oh, here we are. Look, that's the hotel she used to work at." He pointed at a building on the corner of the street.

Sigyn forced herself to smile. It was hard not to shed a few tears at times like this. "Very well. I'll leave you alone with her."

With these words, she withdrew from his mind. A few hours later, Tony returned, and came to Mr. Jarvis' room, with his daughter in his arms. The elderly man was still asleep. Without making a noise, he sat down in the armchair beside the bed, and started watching him. Sigyn didn't know if he had made a decision yet, but he looked like he had already embraced fatherhood. There was hope.

"Ana," Mr. Jarvis mumbled in his sleep at some point. "Ana, I missed you so much, my darling."

Tears welled in Sigyn's eyes, and she wasn't the only one. Tony must have missed Ana as well. But upon inhaling his daughter's scent, a smile appeared on his face.

"You're cheating. It's not fair."

The baby just looked at him, and blinked in response.

"Master Tony?" Mr. Jarvis asked with a feeble voice. He must have just woken up.

"Jarvis? How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

"You look better." That was, of course, a lie. Although he was doing his best, Mr. Jarvis wasn't getting any better. Still, he managed to sit up in the bed without help from Tony.

"So, she is…"

Tony nodded. "My daughter."

"Do you know who the mother might be?"

"No idea." After a moment of silence, he went on, this time with a hint of frustration in his voice, "Obie thinks I should give her to a foster family. He's already made an arrangement."

"With all due respect, Master Tony, I don't think you should let Mr. Stane make this decision for you."

"I know. That's why I came to you."

He smiled. "What do _you_ want to do?"

"I don't know. But I know what I don't want to do. I don't want to give her away."

"Then don't."

"I can't do that either."

"Why not?"

Tony remained silent.

"May I?" he asked, extending his arms. Tony gave the baby to him.

Mr. Jarvis cooed her for a while before asking, "What is it that you fear so much, Master Tony?"

"I don't want to be like _him_."

Mr. Jarvis gave him a sympathetic look, then returned to cooing the baby. He knew Tony was right, they all did. But Mr. Jarvis would never speak ill of Howard either.

"Jarvis, you always said my dad and I had much more in common than I knew. Do you think I'll be like him? Tell me the truth."

"Sadly, I cannot see the future. I don't know what kind of father you'll be. I knew your father made mistakes, but I always thought time would heal all the wounds. What I didn't know was that there was no 'time.' Do you want to know the truth? The truth is, he died with many regrets. If you don't want to be like him, you must make sure you have no regrets. Look at her. She's the only family you have now. Do you really want to deny yourself the joy she will bring into your life? If you give up on her, one day you will regret it, Mr. Stark. I know you will."

This was the first time he called Tony "Mr. Stark." For some reason, that seemed to have helped Tony made up his mind. "Well, I guess Claire can take care of her until I find a nanny. Damn, I'm going to have to read a lot of resumes tonight."

Pleased, Mr. Jarvis prepared to give her back to him, but suddenly, he froze. "Mr. Stark? Does this beautiful young lady have a name?"

Tony's face lit up with the same kind of pride Sigyn would often see on Howard's whenever he came up with a brilliant idea. "Ana," he said "Ana Maria Stark."

If Sigyn didn't have to remain hidden, she would have hugged Tony at that moment. Mr. Jarvis was, of course, even more touched by the gesture.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark. Thank you."

After Tony took little Ana and left, Sigyn revealed herself to Mr. Jarvis again. They were both on the verge of tears.

"That boy does have a heart, doesn't he?"

Mr. Jarvis sighed. "If only I had more time to be with them. To watch her grow up…"

She held his hands. "What are you talking about, Mr. Jarvis? Of course you'll watch her grow up. You'll be the only grandparent she ever knows."

She had thought she could lie to him successfully, but her trembling voice and tear-streaked face betrayed her.

"My lady, please… Please don't cry. You've been such a good friend to all of us. I would hate to leave you here with a broken heart."

"Mr. Jarvis, my heart is not broken. The years I spent with you, Ana, Peggy, and the Starks are, and will always be, the most precious years of my life. If grief is the price I have to pay for those memories, so be it. I wish I could stay with you, but I must go to London again first, and then return to Mar-Vell's lab. Loki is waiting for me. I'll visit you as often as I can, I promise. Maybe not physically, but through astral projection…"

"Go, my lady. Don't worry, I'm in good hands."

"I know." She released his hands. Leaving this room wasn't easy. But she had to.

"Oh, Lady Sigyn?"

"Yes, Mr. Jarvis?"

"I'm glad Mr. Stark was able to give you the serum. If anyone deserves this power, it's you."

"Thank you, Mr. Jarvis. That means a lot, coming from the most honorable man in the Nine Realms."

Although he had no regrets, Sigyn knew the dishonorable discharge was still a wound on his pride. And for what was worth, she truly believed Edwin Jarvis was the most honorable man in the Nine Realms.

…

Mr. Jarvis died fourteen months later. It was a quiet ceremony. He had devoted himself to the service of the Stark family ever since he had come to America. He hadn't had much time to make friends. Peggy, Daniel, Tony, and Ana were the only ones who had come to bid him a final farewell. Sigyn, as usual, was invisible to everyone, but Peggy's hand was ready to hold hers. So, she went to stand next to her, and held it. She dreaded the question of whose hand she was going to hold during Peggy's funeral.

"You're the only friend I've left, Peggy. Don't leave me," she whispered. Peggy squeezed her hand gently in response.

Daniel looked around suspiciously, like he had heard her. And he probably had. He gave Peggy a questioning look, and she blinked. Daniel nodded, to show _both_ women that he shared their grief. After they buried Mr. Jarvis next to his wife, Peggy went over to Tony.

"Hello, Tony."

He frowned in confusion, still clueless about his father's past. "Hello, Mrs…"

"Agent Carter." Peggy still used her maiden name, mostly because "Peggy Carter" had been recorded as a feminist icon in Midgardian history books.

"Right… You were a government liaison to Stark Industries, right? I had no idea you knew Mr. Jarvis."

"He was a good friend of mine," she simply said.

Tony raised his eyebrows questioningly, but didn't ask for details. Peggy looked at the little girl in his arms. Tony had been taking good care of her. She had grown into a lively, happy toddler, and right now, she looked like a porcelain doll in that black velvet dress. "Your daughter?"

"Yeah."

She smiled at Ana. "Well, hello there…"

"Hi," she said.

"What's your name, mm?"

"Ana," she replied, then buried her face in the crook of her father's neck.

"What a beautiful name," she said with a sad smile, and looked at Tony, who had flushed in embarrassment. He must have figured out Peggy knew Ana Jarvis, too. He probably didn't want people to know how sentimental he actually was. _Like father, like son_, Sigyn thought once again.

"Her vocabulary seems quite advanced for her age…"

"Well, she is a Stark," he said curtly, as if he wanted Peggy and her husband to leave at once. Peggy must have realized that they weren't wanted, so she took Daniel and left. Tony thought he was alone with his daughter, so perhaps Sigyn should leave as well, but she was also curious to see what Tony would do next.

He seemed different from how Sigyn had remembered him. The last time she had seen him, he was just a boy, who had lost his parents. Now, he looked much more serious, much more of a "Mr. Stark," in that sleek dark suit, with his daughter in his arms. She was too young to understand the concept of death, but she must have realized something sad and important was going on, because she, too, looked equally solemn.

"Jeeves?" she asked innocently, looking around.

"I'm sorry, baby girl. Jarvis is gone. We're on our own now."

A tear fell from his eye, but Ana wiped it away with her tiny hands. "Dadda, no…"

"Huh." The gesture must have surprised Tony as well. "You're an angel, you know that, right? You're Daddy's little angel. Come on, let's go home."

Walking out of the cemetery to give Tony the privacy he thought he had, Sigyn concluded that for once in her life, she had done the right thing. Those two were going to take good care of each other.


	14. Chapter 14

The moment Howard realized they were being followed, he knew something wasn't right. Maria, too, had grown visibly tense in the passenger seat beside him. This wasn't the first time he regretted the kind of life he had chosen to live, but it was the first time the regret was so intense, so overwhelming. Because his job had never put Maria in danger before. Not like this.

"It's just a rider," he said to calm her down.

"Howard, he's chasing us!"

"Just act natural. We'll be at the airport soon." It was a lie, of course. They weren't anywhere close to the airport, and they weren't going to be for at least another fifteen minutes. He tried not to panic, and kept both his hands on the wheel. All he had to do was to drive fast, but carefully. Once they made it to the airport, they would be safe. Maria would be safe.

But the rider was approaching, and the damn car was just not fast enough. "Maria, listen to me. If we get—"

The sudden impact sent the car crashing into a tree before he could regain control of the wheel. The engine had already caught on fire. Instinctively, he looked at his wife. She was alive. She was bleeding, and she seemed horrified, but she was alive.

"I'll get you out of here," he promised her, and crawled out of the car with one final effort. He indeed hated being human at times like this. He needed to be strong. His wife needed him to be strong. But he was just an old man. And even in his youth, he hadn't been much of a fighter. His solution was to pay other people to do the fighting for him, but if that wasn't an option, the other guy—or, girl—would always kick his ass. He just didn't have it in him.

He had made a mistake by choosing to be subtle about this. They were traveling with the first supersoldier serum that had been produced since Dr. Erskine's death; he should have hired an army of bodyguards to escort them to the Pentagon. Now that mistake was going to cost him everything.

In the meantime, the rider had opened the trunk, and was taking the serum. At this point, Howard didn't give a damn about what happened to the serum, or himself, as long as HYDRA didn't touch his wife. Desperation was an odd thing. He decided to play dumb, although he very well knew that it wouldn't work.

"Help my wife. Please, help…"

"Howard!" he heard Maria cry. It hurt him more than his injuries. She was only here because he had been arrogant and stupid enough to think he could keep her safe. He should have left her at home with Tony. Tony… Had HYDRA sent someone for Tony as well? Maybe they were going to wipe out the entire Stark family tonight. History was full of great families who had been slaughtered by their enemies like this.

"Howard!"

The rider was approaching him. He wondered what the face of HYDRA would look like. But when he lifted Howard, and forced him to look up, he realized the face was much more familiar than he had expected it to be.

"Sergeant Barnes?"

Barnes was holding him up with one hand, and his other hand—the metal one—was ready to punch him. But when he heard the name, he hesitated for a split second.

Then he punched Howard.

It was sickening, to hear and feel your own skull being cracked open like an egg. Still, it hadn't killed him. The metal fist landed again, on his broken face, like a hammer.

"Howard!"

Before he could even fully register the pain, darkness claimed him. The last thing he had seen was Sergeant Barnes' face, and the last thing he had heard was Maria's terrified voice, calling his name one last time.

…

Wasn't darkness supposed to be the end?

He didn't know how this could be possible. He was pretty sure the second punch had killed him. And yet, here he was, in a cold, dimly lit cell with black, stone walls, strapped to rusty chains hanging from the ceiling. And he couldn't believe he was worried about this right now, but what had happened to his clothes? His feet were bare, and all he wore was a dirty rag that barely covered anything. What kind of sick game was HYDRA playing with him?

"Maria!" he called, struggling against the chains. If she, too, had found herself in a cell like this, his poor wife must have been so scared. "Maria, I'm here! It's alright, I'm going to find you. Just hang on."

The chains might be rusty, but they were still quite sturdy. In the end, all he had been able to do was to cut his own wrists. He stopped. Even if Maria could hear him, how could he expect her to believe him to keep her safe, after what had just happened? He felt an urge to touch his face, to see if it was still intact, but he could feel that it indeed was. He had been completely recovered somehow. There was no pain. It didn't help him feel any safer, though. Something was very, very wrong. To add to his confusion, his bleeding wrists fully healed in a matter of… what, minutes? Hours? He had lost the sense of time.

It could be hours, days, or years, but finally, the door opened. Those who entered wore hooded black robes, and their faces were covered as well. Howard asked them who they were, but they made no reply. They unshackled him, and then dragged him along the long, narrow, dark hallways. Some stairs, and then more hallways, until they reached some kind of main chamber. The torches painted the walls and the floors crimson red, and there were more of these hooded creatures here.

One would think after a lifetime of dealing with aliens, their artifacts, and other weird phenomena would prepare him for this, but the sight of the throne at the other end of the chamber, and the gigantic demon—Howard didn't know how else to describe that _thing_—sitting upon it left him speechless. The minions threw him at his feet, then retreated.

Howard blinked a few times, then studied the demon from head to toe, until he was sure this wasn't some kind of nightmare. He had the face and the body of a male human, only he was at least three times bigger than an average man. His skin was red, his horns and spiky hair black. A crimson cloak partially covered his muscular torso. He had to be immune to fire. Otherwise, that fiery throne would be pretty uncomfortable for him to sit upon.

"Oh. You're not HYDRA, are you?" It was some relief, to realize that his sense of humor hadn't left him.

The demon smirked, obviously entertained. "You have left that world behind, Stark. You belong to me now."

"And you are…"

"I'm Mephisto, the Lord of Hell."

"The Lord of Hell," he repeated, then burst into laughter. The whole thing was a bit funny. He had thought he was dead, but he had somehow been sent to another planet instead, and was now having a chat with an alien fellow who called himself "the Lord of Hell." He just couldn't stop thinking about Sigyn's and Peggy's faces when they found out what he had got himself into.

"You count on that little stonekeeper friend of yours to save you," he said, as if he could read his mind. "But even if she knew where you were, she could not use the Tesseract to get here. There is only one way to enter my realm."

"What way is that?"

"Death."

His grin faded. Things were starting to make more sense. This wasn't some kind of accidental trip to another planet. Mephisto had said he had left "that world" behind. And by "that world," he had meant the universe he knew. That also explained why Sigyn couldn't use the Tesseract to save him. The "Space" Stone only allowed one to travel through space, not dimensions. One would probably need another Infinity Stone for inter-dimensional travel, though he wasn't sure which one.

Howard _had_ died.

"I'm in a different dimension, aren't I?"

"A quick learner. You don't disappoint, Stark."

"I know I deserve to be here after everything I did. So, let's just get down to business, shall we? Whatever punishment awaits me, I'm ready."

"You are not here to be_ punished_. You are here because you are worthy."

"Worthy of what?"

"To be my servant. I only welcome those who achieved greatness in their lifetime. And you… You lived an impressive life, for such a feeble creature. But your greatest achievement, to recreate the power of an Infinity Stone… I could not have let such a mind perish now, could I?"

The element. Shit. That was how he must have got caught in Mephisto's radar. Tony… Howard wished there was a way to send Sigyn a message, to tell her to destroy the film reel and the Stark Expo diorama…

"I assume it is obvious by now. Swear loyalty to me, and your suffering will end. Who knows, perhaps one day I will even help you avenge your poor wife."

Howard gulped. Maria… He hadn't forgotten about her, of course, but he hadn't wanted to mention her to this freak either. But of course, Mephisto knew about her, too.

"Where is she?"

"Gone. Unlike you, she wasn't worth saving."

"_Wasn't worth saving."_ He gritted his teeth furiously. How could his lovely, sweet Maria not be _worth saving_? He refused to imagine a Cosmos where Maria didn't exist anywhere, in any form, especially now that he knew there was life even after death. No, she had to be somewhere, anywhere. Mephisto was lying. At least he hadn't mentioned Tony, which led Howard to think he was still alive for the time being.

"We can change that, too, of course," Mephisto added. "The Darkhold can show you how, if you truly want her back."

"The Darkhold?"

"Oh, it is a beautiful thing… A book of infinite knowledge. It was forged in this realm, a long time ago… Therefore, it cannot be read here, but it is still in your former world, anyway."

The Darkhold… Now that he thought about it, he remembered some HYDRA leaders had searched for such a book during WWII. And if it was really on Earth…

"Come on, Stark. It does not have to fall into the wrong hands."

Howard raised his head defiantly, and looked into Mephisto's terrifying eyes. _Enough_, he thought. All his life, almost everything he had created had fallen into the wrong hands. He had thought he successfully manipulated people for the greater good, not realizing he was the one being manipulated. By the government, the SSR, Vanko, HYDRA… They all had used him. But no more.

"I refuse."

Mephisto didn't ask a second time. The minions appeared again, and dragged him back to his cell. The torture began.

…

They flogged him, burned him, flayed him, mutilated him. The pain alone should have killed him—again—by now, but he healed. Completely. No matter what they did to him, he healed completely. He thought of starving himself to death, but it didn't take long for him to realize he didn't need food or water anymore. He didn't need need to sleep either. Mephisto had said he wasn't being punished, but Howard couldn't help but think that ironically, this was the perfect punishment for him. All his life, he had been obsessed with creating a supersoldier. Everyone had told him to let go of Steve, but he had refused. The obsession had ruined his relationship with his son. His friendship with Peggy and Jarvis. Ultimately, it had got Maria killed. At the hands of another supersoldier. Howard still didn't know what had happened to Sergeant Barnes, but HYDRA had enhanced him, that much was obvious. Now, death had turned him into the best supersoldier imaginable. And it was his curse. There was no escape from the pain. He had to feel every single moment of it. This was how he was going to spend the rest of eternity.

At least his mind was still his. The good memories helped him cope with his new reality, the everlasting uncertainity. The problem was, there weren't many of them. The first time he had seen Maria, playing the piano at Joseph's wedding, their first date, first kiss, first lovemaking… How his heart had almost stopped when he had seen her in her wedding dress… The day she had announced her pregnancy, then watching their child grow in her womb… Tony's birth, the first time he had held him in his arms… Well, that was all. Then he had messed it up.

It was impossible to say how much time had passed, for he still didn't have any sense of time, but at some point, they moved him to another cell. This part of the dungeons was different. Now he could see that he wasn't alone. There were many other prisoners like him. He still couldn't see them, but he could hear their screams when they were tortured.

The usual minions never came for him again after he was put in this new cell. They hadn't shackled him either, but the cell was very small and empty, so there wasn't much to do. After being ignored for a while, a woman came to his visit. He was wearing the same long, black robes, but her face was obscured with a golden mask, instead of a hood. Her curly blonde hair reached past her shoulders.

"You don't even remember me, do you?" she asked.

"Should I?" If this was one of the flings from his youth… Well, he wouldn't really be surprised.

She removed the mask. Again, a familiar face from the past, but certainly not one of his flings.

"Whitney Frost?" he gasped. Whitney Frost had died in that asylum. It had taken many attempts, but she had been able to bleed herself to death. Her lover and Howard's childhood friend, Joseph Manfredi, had been devastated at first. He had mourned, he had suffered, but in the end, he had moved on. Howard had never thought much about her after that.

The slap dislocated his jaw, but he didn't care. He would probably be as good as new before even the actual torture began. "It's Agnes," she snarled. "Agnes Cully."

"Whatever," he sneered, just to spite her.

She laughed, and showed him something dark and intangible dancing around her fingers. "Remember this?"

Of course he did. Zero Matter. Later, Sigyn had told them that its actual name was "Darkforce."

"How did you get it back?"

"Well, it took me a lifetime, but I finally met someone who appreciated my genius."

"Mephisto?" Her experiments with Zero Matter must have put her under Mephisto's radar.

"_This_ is a gift from him. And he wants to give you something even better. You should be honored." Her voice was full of envy. Howard wasn't surprised she wanted the Darkhold for herself as well. It had to be Frost's favorite kind of book.

"Why don't you read it yourself, then? That would save me from a lot of trouble."

"The Darkhold cannot show you anything beyond your comprehension. I might be a genius, but unlike you, I've never been lucky enough to get my hands on an Infinity Stone. The Lord wants you to finish what you started."

"What?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"He wants you to create the other five elements."

"Oh." Yes, it made sense. So, that was why he was really here.

Damn it. Sigyn had warned him. She had said there would be consequences even she couldn't foresee. An eternity in Hell… That was the consequence. Once again, he hoped she had destroyed that film, so that he wouldn't have to have a reunion with his son here one day.

"I suppose you haven't changed your mind?"

"No."

"Very well. Let's begin."

Howard had thought he had seen the worst of Hell, but when Zero Matter touched him, he realized how wrong he had been. There was nothing new about the physical pain, of course, but it didn't end there. Zero Matter had also captured his mind, and it was showing him the worst things about himself. Now, he truly had nowhere to escape.

First, he saw himself as that young, brilliant, ambitious boy who had been born to the wrong parents. He had broken their hearts repeatedly, by constantly telling them how much he was ashamed of his family. He had accused them of being stupid, lazy, and not ambitious enough. Then there were all those people he had wronged, the lives he had destroyed, just to be able to climb the American ladder. Whenever he felt guilty, he would promise himself that he would become a true philanthropist and redeem himself once he became rich.

But he never became a true philanthropist. The government loved his weapons, and he loved their money. He dreaded having to go back to the lower east side.

"Coward," Frost scoffed when she saw his fear, and he was right.

And then came Captain America. The first good he had brought into the world. But then, he couldn't really take the credit. It was Dr. Erskine's formula, not his…

"Jealousy… Interesting. The poor Dr. Erskine died trying to save the world from the Nazis, and you remember him with jealousy. Shame on you."

_Shame on me. _Frost was absolutely right. If Steve had known… But there were worse things Steve had never known about him.

The Battle of Finow, for example. The victims of the Midnight Oil, one of the most dangerous things he had accidentally invented. He had seen the aftermath with his own eyes. The massacre.

_"Do you know what your creation does?"_ Johann Fenoff would ask him later.

_"I saw it afterwards."_

_"And I saw it while it happened. I was only spared because I had a gas mask to protect myself. My comrades were not so lucky, my brother wasn't so lucky... When I found him he had no eyes. Pieces of his flesh had been bitten off. Can you imagine this?"_

The guilt became so intense that Howard gouged his eyes out, tore his own flesh open, so that he could feel the pain of his victims.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… That's not good enough, Howard. You know you will heal. Those soldiers in Finow, or the civilians in that movie theater, they weren't so lucky."

Frost kept going. He was blinded—temporarily, he knew—but he could still see the atomic bomb he had created. The Manhattan Project. He recalled Oppenheimer's famous words after the Trinity test. Howard had heard them with his own ears.

"_Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds."_

"Let's move on to something more… personal, shall we?"

Steve Rogers' blood. How Peggy, or even Jarvis had not trusted him with it. Had he not been so untrustworthy, she wouldn't have poured it away, and Sigyn would have used it to locate Steve. Yes, Steve could have been back with them if Howard had been more decent.

And Sigyn… She had been such a loyal friend, and all he had done was to break her heart with his outbursts. Hers wasn't even the only heart he had broken, though.

Tony. There was a time Tony would kiss the ground Howard walked on. But with each outburst, the admiration had slowly been replaced with fear, and in the end, it had become permanent. This was Howard's greatest shame. A child was supposed to feel safe around his father, not scared. Fatherhood was such a blessing, and Howard had been so ungrateful, especially considering the things the Jarvises had done to be able to have a child. They had traveled to another planet, for goodness' sake, while Howard had thoughtlessly hurt the greatest gift he had ever received. At least the Jarvises had deserved the love Tony had given them…

"You're jealous of your butler, too… Pathetic!"

Of course he was jealous of Jarvis. Tony had never feared him. He trusted him more than he trusted his own father. And Howard had always envied the bond those two shared. Who could blame them, though? Howard was the one who had forced Tony to find another father figure.

At least Howard had been able to protect him. Yes, he had pushed him away, but it had kept Tony safe. Or, he had thought it had. Now, HYDRA was out there, along with all those other enemies he had made. Tony was surrounded by sharks, and Howard wasn't there to protect him anymore. Perhaps Obadiah would teach him how to deal with enemies…

"Obadiah?" Frost scoffed. "He only tolerates your brat because he needs his genius. For now. Who knows what might happen once he gets tired of him? Or, if Tony discovers the secret deals he makes with the enemies of the U.S. government?"

_Shit…_ Obadiah was a traitor, too, then. Tony was going to be stabbed in the back.

"You're so blind, Howard. You couldn't even see how Obadiah lusted after your wife. He tried to steal her from you. If Maria hadn't loved you so much, he might even have succeeded. A pity… You know you never deserved such a fine woman. You killed her. She died because of you."

"STOP!" he screamed. "STOP IT!"

"Interesting. You never begged anyone to stop before… Well, I believe this is enough for one day."

With his newly-regenerated eyes, he watched Frost leave, then collapsed on the floor. He had to be in a really bad place if even Whitney Frost took pity on him.

…

Another thing he couldn't do was to cry.

No matter what Frost did to him, he couldn't shed a single tear.

He might not be able to tell how much time had passed since his death, but at least he could keep a count of Frost's visits. 225, he thought when he heard the door being unlocked. This was going to be their 225th torture session together.

She looked at him, and sighed in disappointment. "What a waste of genius…"

"You know, that's funny, because I could say the same about you."

"I never wanted to become a monster, Howard. The world gave me no other choice. Not that I expect you to understand. Maybe you would, if you had a daughter… or, granddaughter."

He straightened up where he sat. The implication in her voice was impossible to miss. _Granddaughter._

She smirked. "You heard me right. I learned the other day. She is a bit older than a year old now. Tony is raising her well, you should be proud."

For a second, he thought his dead heart would start beating again. Tony had a kid. Who was the mother, though? Had Tony married her? He was a bit too young for that responsibility, but it didn't matter. Oh, what wouldn't Howard do, just to be able to hold that little girl in his arms for once… But then, Tony probably wouldn't even let him anywhere near her, not after everything Howard had done to him. He was always so protective of those he loved. But Howard would never hurt her. He would do anything for his son's forgiveness. He would beg him on his knees if he had to. If only Maria could see them. She deserved to know. In fact, she deserved it more than Howard did.

Frost went on, "When you died, I'd advised the Lord to bring Maria here as well. To… motivate you, you know. I imagine you wouldn't be so stubborn if she were here. Still, he is patient. Just a couple of more decades, and maybe you'll be reunited with your son here. Or granddaughter… Or, both. Maybe I'll even make you choose."

Howard had always prided himself on being calm and composed no matter what. But after these words, he jumped to his feet and lunged at Frost, only to be impaled by Zero Matter. One would think he would have got used to the pain by now, but with Zero Matter, there was no such such thing as "getting used to the pain."

After she released him, and he staggered back into the corner, Frost left the cell. She knew she didn't need Zero Matter to torture him today. _"Maybe I'll even make you choose,"_ she had said. The threat was obvious. When they died, Mephisto was going to bring them here as well. Then he was going to give Howard a choice to spare one of them the pain. How could he make a choice between his son and granddaughter? At least, judging by the way Frost had spoken, bringing Maria here didn't seem like an option for Mephisto anymore, which was some relief… And a sign that Mephisto's powers had limits.

"_Yes. You can escape Hell."_

_What the…_ Had he started hearing voices in his head? Alright, this wasn't good. He was immune to many things now, but perhaps madness wasn't one of them.

"_You are not going mad. You did something right. And you shall be rewarded for that."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_I am what you know as 'Zero Matter.'"_

Zero Matter… Was it talking to him? Well, Joseph had once said Zero Matter was whispering things to Whitney Frost. Jason Wilkes had said he had heard voices in his head while under the material's influence as well. _"What did I do right?"_

"_You managed to steal a drop of me from her."_

"_Did I?"_ he asked, confused. He hadn't even thought such a thing could be possible, how could he have done it?

"_There was something different inside you today. Something that wasn't there before. A desire to fight. You have someone to fight for now, don't you?"_

Right, his granddaughter… The news must have triggered something within him. Frost had wanted to torment him, but she had also given him something to fight for. Damn, he didn't even know her name. He didn't even know what she looked like. And she was never going to know she had a grandfather who loved her more than anything else.

"_You are going to need more of me."_

"_For what?"_

"_Let me show you."_

And it did. All the properties of Zero Matter, its laws, how could he use it both as a weapon and a tool to open an inter-dimensional portal… It made him understand all in the blink of an eye. This could be the most effective crash course he had ever received.

He quickly did the math in his head. 1087. If he was to keep stealing a small amount of Zero Matter from Frost without her noticing, he was going to need to go through 1087 more torture sessions. But after that, he was going to be powerful enough to open an interdimensional portal. Now there was only one problem: Zero Matter had also shown him how to hide his thoughts from Frost, bury them in the depths of his mind, but where was he going to keep the Zero Matter he collected? If he stored it in his own body, Frost would surely notice.

"_Your neighbor. The one who never gets tortured."_

His neighbor? Well, now he thought about it, he had never heard any screams coming from the cell next to his. He had just assumed it was empty.

After a brief moment of consideration, he pressed his forehead on the wall. "Hey? Hey, you…"

"Yes?" a deep, haunting voice answered.

"Are you a prisoner here, too?"

"I am."

"Then why are you never tortured?"

He chuckled bitterly. "If only that were true…"

"But Whitney Frost doesn't hurt you, does she?" he asked impatiently. He could hear the story of this prisoner later. Right now, he had different priorities.

"She is not allowed to touch me."

"Good."

"Why?" he asked, obviously intrigued.

"I was able to take some Zero Matter from her. I'm going to need more to escape this dimension. Let's just say I need someone who can hold onto it for safekeeping."

"Hmm." He seemed to have understood. "So, you want to make a deal with the Devil?"

"Are you the Devil?"

"I used to be an angel once. But now, yes. Yes, I am the Devil."

"What do you want in return?"

"I want you to take me to your realm. There, I'm going to need a host. You can be my host. You have a score to settle, don't you? We can settle that score together."

"Host?"

"Your body."

"Why do you want to help me? You don't even know me."

"It is not about you. I crave vengeance. It doesn't matter whose vengeance it is. This is what my time here did to me."

So, the "Devil" was some kind of parasite who was obsessed with the concept of revenge in general. He thought for a moment. Of course he had a score to settle. He had a lot of scores to settle. But he couldn't roam Earth as some kind of undead creature. He wasn't just a random person that would go unnoticed; he was Howard Stark. Sooner or later, the secret would come out. How was he going to explain his return to Tony? He deserved a peaceful life with his daughter.

"I will open a portal to Earth for you. I will _not_ be your host. I cannot go back there. You're going to help me find another place to hide. This is my condition."

The "Devil" didn't reply immediately. Howard waited. Finally, he heard him say, "Very well. We have a deal. Send me the Darkforce."

He closed his eyes, and focused on bringing the Zero Matter in his body to his right palm. Damn, he was going to need a lot of practice with this thing… After some struggle, he managed to send it to the other prisoner through the wall that separated their cells. The effort had left him exhausted, though, and he didn't think it had anything to do with his old age.

He heard his new friend wince in pain.

"Are you alright?"

"I am. It is done."

He sighed in relief. "So, does the Devil have a name?"

"You can call me the Spirit of Vengeance."

"That's more like a title, not a name."

For some time, no reply came. Howard concluded that the Spirit of Vengeance wasn't going to give him his name, even if he had one. But suddenly, he said, "Zarathos."

"Nice to meet you, Zarathos."

"Nice to meet you, too, Howard."


	15. Chapter 15

The next two years following the death of Edwin Jarvis were unevenful. But that short era of peace came to an end when Sigyn received a warning from Frigga herself one day. She was on another shopping trip on Earth when the queen warned her against the Kree. The Asgardian troops were ready, but Odin didn't want to get involved in a war between the Kree and the Skrulls unless he absolutely had to. Sigyn was ordered to bring the Tesseract back to Asgard if the lab was discovered. After calling Director Keller and advising him to be on alert for any suspicious activity in the California region, she left Midgard. The refugees were glad to have her here, but they were also scared that the Kree was so close. She wished she could promise to protect them, but Asgard was determined to stay out of the Kree-Skrull war, and Sigyn knew what would happen if she betrayed a direct order from Asgard again.

After almost a day of waiting, when the cruiser was forcefully decloaked, Sigyn told them to hide. She was ready to take the cube and leave, but first, she wanted to see who had come for it. And when she saw Carol Danvers, the pilot the Kree had kidnapped, she was glad that she did. Although Carol was wearing a Starforce uniform, it had different colors. The other pilot Mar-Vell used to work with was here, too. Maria Rambeau was her name. There was a Skrull with them, and another human. He was a SHIELD agent, Sigyn recognized, one Howard and Peggy had personally recruited during the Cold War, believing his talents were being wasted in the CIA. Nick Fury.

And that damnable Flerken, Goose. She had been wandering around freely since Mar-Vell's death. She approached Sigyn and rubbed her back against her legs.

"Who the hell are you?" Fury asked.

Sigyn showed him her SHIELD ID. Normally, she wouldn't reveal herself to a SHIELD agent like this, but today, she was going to have to make an exception. Besides, it looked like Fury had already met a couple of aliens. "I am Sharon Tyler, Consultant to SHIELD."

He studied her ID suspiciously. "A Level 10 Consultant? I didn't know that could be possible."

"There are many things you don't know, Agent Fury."

"What's Level 10?" Carol asked.

"That's Director level," Fury explained. "And Consultants aren't supposed to have Clearance Levels at all."

"She's lying," the Skrull said. "Her name is not Sharon Tyler. She's not even from C-53. She's the one Asgard sent to protect the cube. Sorry to blow your cover, by the way… Lady Sigyn."

"I'll be damned!" Fury cried. "You're an alien, too?"

"I'm no impostor. I am the guardian of the Tesseract _and_ a Consultant to SHIELD. My Clearance Level is a privilege I only use under rare circumstances, such as this one. And I have no quarrel with your people, Skrull. In fact, they trusted me to keep them safe."

The Skrulls started coming out from the shadows. Soren ran into the arms of the one who had come here with their unexpected visitors. He must be her husband, Talos, then. Soren had told Sigyn a lot about him. "I'm sorry," she said. "We didn't know what to do. Mar-Vell said the Kree would find us if we sent any signal, and Sigyn had orders not to intervene."

She gestured their daughter to come forth. Right, the girl had never met her father. She was shy at first, but they quickly bonded.

"He wasn't here for the Tesseract," Carol gasped. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"This is war. I have blood on my hands, too. You've brought me to my family. Thank you."

The rest of the refugees were wary, but once Talos told them that his friends could be trusted, they were visibly relaxed.

"Father, look what Sigyn brought me today," his daughter said, showing him the doll Sigyn had given her. "Isn't she pretty?" Mar-Vell would always bring toys and snacks for children, and the necessities for the adults every time she came here. Sigyn had started doing the same after her death. She felt responsible for these people.

Talos smiled. "Yes, my dear, it's very pretty."

"It's alright," Soren assured him. "Sigyn has been kind to us."

For some reason, Talos seemed to be struggling to believe it. And while this was a sentimental moment, there were questions that still needed to be asked. "How did you contact SHIELD?"

He smirked. "Thank you for the warning, Miss Tyler, we'll be keeping an eye for any suspicious activity around California."

Sigyn shivered. Those were the exact words Director Keller had told her on the phone earlier today. "You've been impersonating Keller?"

"Not for long. It wasn't me who spoke with you on the phone; it was just a memory. And don't worry, he's alive."

"If you knew about me, why didn't you come to me directly? There was no need for any of that."

He chuckled bitterly. "Come to you directly? Can't you imagine my fear the moment I realized my family was at the mercy of an Asgardian?"

"What's the problem with the mercy of Asgardians?"

"The problem is, you lack it completely."

"Asgard has done nothing but to bring peace to the universe!"

"Is that so? Where do you think all that gold and riches came from?"

Sigyn had no idea what he was talking about. But Talos looked like he expected it. He snorted. "You Asgardians bury your secrets so deep that even you can't find them. But then, you're not entirely like the others. You helped my family. Therefore, you have my thanks." He nodded to her respectfully.

"Fraternizing with the enemy?" The Starforce had come out of nowhere and barged into the room.

Remembering her orders, Sigyn went to take the Tesseract and put it into the first container she could find. It was a metal lunch box, but it would do.

"Take me," Talos told them. "Let the others go. They're not warriors."

Sigyn would love to test her new strength against the Kree scum, but orders were orders. She now knew the cost of disobedience. She had to trust the Allfather's wisdom. Maybe Heimdall would let her return here to fight once the Tesseract was safe. "Heimdall, open—"

One Kree grabbed Soren and Talos' daughter and pressed a gun against her temple. "Ah-ah-ah… If the Bifrost opens, she dies."

_Damn_. Why did this keep happening? Why, every time she was determined to be an obedient, loyal Asgardian warrior, her conscience was tested in the worst way possible?

The Tesseract was supposed to be her priority, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not while Soren and Talos silently begged her with their eyes like that. Not while knowing that little girl saw her as a hero. Slowly, she put the box down on the floor, and pushed it toward them. They let the girl return to her mother, but it didn't mean she was safe. None of them were safe. The Kree had no mercy.

They decided to take the Skrull refugees as prisoners and throw Sigyn, Maria, and Fury out of the ship. It was unclear what plans they had for Carol and the Tesseract. As they marched to their death, Sigyn was waiting for an opportunity to break free from her shackles. They were too advanced for her magic, but maybe, she didn't need it at all. The Kree scanner had identified her as a Terran-Asgardian hybrid, but it had failed to recognize the supersoldier serum in her blood. Even after his death, Howard was looking out for her.

But before she could find such an opportunity, suddenly, the lights started to flicker, and the shackles opened themselves. Sigyn took down the nearest Kree guard, and used his gun to kill the rest. Her reflexes had been improved as well. She hadn't noticed that before. But then, she hadn't had to fight for her life since she had been injected with the serum.

Fury went to free Goose from the muzzle.

"I'd be careful with that beast if I were you, Agent Fury."

"_Beast_? Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you aliens? Oh, and what just happened to the lights?"

"I'm not sure, but—" She paused. The answer was, apparently, no one other than Carol herself. And she had the Tesseract. "Not bad," she said, looking at the dead Kree.

Sigyn looked out the window. Accuser ships. Well, if millions of innocent lives weren't at stake, she would actually be happy to get such a chance to test her new powers. But right now, glory was the least of her concerns. "More are coming. The Accusers will destroy the realm."

"I'll deal with them."

"I can help."

"No. You're the guardian of the Tesseract. Guard it. But the lunch box stays with me."

Carol was planning to misdirect the Starforce. But there was one problem. "The cube is pure energy. We need another container."

Carol rolled her eyes. "Should I get you an oven mitt?"

"Look, you absorbed its powers, so it doesn't harm you, but the rest of us—" Goose unleashed her tentacles and swallowed the Tesseract. Sigyn sighed, knowing sooner or later, she was going to have to take it back from the Flerken. But she could worry about that later.

One would think this would be enough to teach Agent Fury why it was wise to stay away from Flerkens, but apparently, it hadn't. "I'm going to pick you up now. I trust you not to eat me."

"Go!" Carol said, and they all started running.

On their way to the hangar, they ran into another group of Kree. Sigyn was ready to fight, but Goose took care of them. Instead of being terrified and disgusted, Fury seemed to like him even more now. The truth was, Flerkens could be formidable allies, if they weren't so unpredictable.

Everything was going well, they even found the Skrull refugees and freed them, but when they ran into another group of Kree, and Goose changed sides, Sigyn was proven right about the beast. If she were alone, she would fight her way out, or at least die trying, but she had to think of Fury and Maria, so she surrendered.

"It's just like Havana," one of the Kree whispered to Fury. She didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but Fury gave Sigyn a meaningful nod. Perhaps Goose hadn't changed sides, after all.

"Cover her eyes," the same Kree soldier whispered to Soren, then revealed himself to be Talos. Disguising yourself as the enemy. Clever. It reminded Sigyn of one of Loki's favorite tricks. She and Talos managed to take down the rest.

"Let's take my ship," Sigyn suggested. "Asgardian ships are faster."

They all took her word for it, climbed aboard, but Talos was the last one, and he got shot by one of the surviving Kree before the hatch was closed. It wasn't a fatal wound, but he was going to need to rest until he healed.

"I don't know how to fly this thing!" Maria complained.

Sigyn left Talos, and went to start the ship. But it didn't start. "Damn it! They must have sabotaged the engines!"

"What now?" Fury asked. "Are we trapped here?"

"Not necessarily. You still have the quadjet."

"And how do you know it's not sabotaged as well?"

"The Kree are arrogant. They wouldn't bother with what they consider to be a piece of junk. Perhaps, for once, it's a good thing everyone in the universe underestimates your world."

"She's right," Talos agreed. "Your jet is probably still intact. The problem is, we're surrounded."

Sigyn looked out the window. At least a dozen Kree had surrounded the ship, indeed. She conjured her sword and shield.

"What are you doing?" Soren gasped.

"When I open this door, run like hell. Don't look back."

"You'll die."

_Maybe_, she thought. But only a few decades ago, she couldn't even dream of surviving a fight with a dozen Kree warriors. Now, she had a chance, all thanks to Howard. Her friend had trusted her with his life's work, and she had to put it to good use. She had to do what Steve Rogers would do if he were here. She owed Howard that much. She owed it to everyone who believed in her. Even if she wasn't destined to be a hero in the future she had seen, that was irrelevant today. Today, she had to be what she had to be.

Mr. Jarvis' words echoed in her head as she pressed the button to open the hatch. _"I'm glad Mr. Stark was able to give you the serum. If anyone deserves this power, it's you."_

She jumped from the ship, and held up her shield to cover herself from the blasts. They certainly didn't expect her to charge at them running. She could use her illusions for a diversion, but the truth was, she wanted to see if she could win this fight without sorcery. She slashed and stabbed, unleashing all that pain and anger she had been keeping inside for more than a thousand years. She didn't need an enchanted staff to turn into a Berserker.

Her mother, Haldor, Ana, Howard, Maria, Jarvis… In the past, she thought with each loss, she became a lesser person. But she was wrong. They might be gone, but they were a part of her now, and they gave her the strength she needed. It wasn't just the serum.

When the fight was over, she was standing on a pile of dead Kree warriors, covered in blue blood. The quadjet was gone. She ran to the nearest window to see if Midgard was still safe, and saw Carol Danvers destroying the Accuser ships. _"Going binary,"_ Mar-Vell used to call this state. Only, it was supposed to be an engine doing that, not a person. But then, maybe Carol Danvers, too, had been given these powers for a reason.

"_Well done, Lady Sigyn."_

When she turned around, she found Heimdall's projection standing right behind her. "_Well done_? I disobeyed yet another order. The Allfather must be furious."

"No. I could've opened the Bifrost and bring you back to Asgard against your will if I'd wanted to. We decided to see how you would handle the situation instead. And you did well. General Talos won't forget what you did for his family. Thanks to you, the Skrull Empire and Asgard can be allies one day. Odin is proud."

Sigyn hesitated for a moment. She didn't know what to say. There were things she was supposed to say, as a warrior of Asgard and the sworn guardian of the Tesseract, but then, they weren't the things she wanted to say. In the end, she decided to be honest.

"I didn't do it for him."

…

Sigyn fixed her ship and returned to Earth to meet everyone else. They were fine, except Fury's left eye was swollen. _"It's just a scratch,"_ Fury had said, but Flerkens had venomous paws. He was going to lose that eye. They went to Maria's house, and she kindly let Sigyn use her shower. Sigyn decided to do her a favor and scrubbed the shower really well afterwards. No one would want to see traces of Kree blood in their bathroom. The dinner was ready by the time she was done.

"So, how long have you been here?" Maria's daughter, Monica, asked her.

"I came here in 1950, and I've been working with SHIELD ever since." Sigyn didn't have to tell her that was a secret. Monica looked like a smart child.

"How old are you?"

"More than a thousand years old."

"Wow."

"You know, SHIELD could use a pilot like you," Fury told Maria. If only he hadn't. Working at SHIELD would only put them in danger. Sigyn still didn't know when HYDRA was going to make their move.

"I have a better idea!" Monica cried. "Mom, why don't you, Auntie Carol, and Sigyn become a team? You'd be great together. And I could join you when I grow up."

The three women exchanged meaningful looks. They all knew it would be impossible. Maria and Carol were—rightfully—upset with Sigyn for covering up Mar-Vell's death. Fury ignored this silent exchange, even if he had noticed it. "You know what, that's actually a great idea!"

"SHIELD can put together a team like that, right? A team of all female heroes?"

He chuckled. "I'm afraid we can't afford to be that… selective yet. Perhaps one day."

"Sigyn, a word?" Carol asked sharply.

Sigyn nodded, and they went outside. "I know what you're going to say. I respected Mar-Vell. A lot. And she respected you. I'm sorry we covered up the incident. I'm sorry we didn't give you the recognition you deserved."

"Recognition? It's not about recognition. My best friend and her daughter spent almost six years, not sure if they should mourn me or not! The Kree might have fed me with lies, but at least what they taught us about Asgard on Hala was true. You bury your secrets so deep, even the secrets can't find themselves. And you taught SHIELD to do the same."

"Carol, I'm hardly the one who taught humanity the art of espionage. But I don't regret anything. Mar-Vell's files had to be redacted. I did what was necessary to protect people."

"You could've at least told Maria!"

"Then she would be in danger, too. Maria was one of those people I was protecting."

Carol studied her from head to toe with a suspicious frown. "You're hiding from something… or someone, aren't you? If you tell me, maybe I can help."

Sigyn considered telling her about HYDRA, but then decided against it. If she told Carol, Carol would tell Fury, and Fury would tell Director Keller. She didn't need any more blood on her hands. "I'm not hiding from anyone. But you're clearly hiding something from me. What did they teach you about Asgard on Hala?"

She shrugged. "Why do you ask? You wouldn't believe it."

"Please."

"No. If you have the courage, ask Odin yourself."

"Well, I better not overstay my welcome here. I'm going to have to take Goose with me, though. She still has the Tesseract."

"It's not my approval you need. You should ask Fury. But then, he doesn't have much of a choice, does he? With you being his secret boss and all…"

"I suppose he doesn't."

…

"I wasn't expecting to see you again," Fury said when Sigyn visited him in his office the next day.

"Hello, Agent Fury. How's your eye?"

His hand went to the metal eyepatch. "I think this is growing on me."

"We all tried to warn you, didn't we? When dealing with the extraterrestrial, it's wise to listen to those who's been around for longer than you have. Carter and Stark knew that, and it saved them from a lot of trouble back in the day."

"I assume you're here to give me another warning?"

"Yes. What are you planning to tell Director Keller about the Tesseract's fate?"

"Well, the truth, of course."

"And what truth is that?"

"That you have it."

"Technically, I don't have it."

"No. But Goose does. And you have Goose."

_Damn it._ "Agent Fury," she started carefully. "I know SHIELD teaches the agents to trust the system, but you've seen how fragile that system is. Perhaps it's for the best that the Tesseract remains lost."

"You don't trust Director Keller…"

"I don't trust humanity in general. Don't take it personal."

"But you trusted the Founders."

"I did. That was a long time ago. Midgard changes fast."

"Carol trusted us with the Tesseract."

"Carol isn't the one who's been working with SHIELD for decades."

"I will not lie to Keller, Sigyn. Don't waste your breath. The system might be fragile, but I still trust it more than I trust you. And the Tesseract must be put to good use. If you truly respect Howard Stark's legacy, you won't stop us."

"In that case, when he asks for my opinion, I'm going to advise Director Keller _against_ your new project. What do you call it, the Protectors Initiative?"

"Why? Because things didn't work out between you and Carol? For the record, I think she was right to be mad at you. But if you could've put your differences aside, you'd be a force to be reckoned with."

"It's not about me or Carol. It's about what we are. Our powers come with a cost. Things we do take a toll on us. Put a bunch of strangers like us in a room, and we'll be at each others' throats in no time. There's always an excuse."

"Are you a prophet or something?"

"I'm just a woman who's seen too much."

"And I'm just a man who knows too much. I can't unsee what I saw yesterday. I can't ignore it either."

Sigyn considered altering Fury's memories, but before she could act on the thought, an agent interrupted them, saying Director Keller wanted to see him immediately.

"See you around, Miss Tyler," he said before leaving.

She put a hand on Fury's shoulder to stop him before he walked out of the office, and whispered, "Under normal circumstances, I only deal with the Director of SHIELD, Agent Fury. If we're both lucky, we'll never see each other again."


	16. Chapter 16

Sigyn took Goose to her house in Tonsberg and started living there permanently. It was a good place to lay low. At least after what had happened to the Accusers, no one else dared try to steal the Tesseract again. Being its guardian was actually an easy duty, so long as you didn't get attached to mortals.

Keller's death didn't affect Sigyn much, if not at all, for example. But after his death, Nick Fury became the new Director of SHIELD. Sigyn wasn't a big fan of Fury because of the obvious reasons, and she didn't bother to pretend otherwise, but at least he wasn't HYDRA. It didn't make sense, though. That bastard, Alexander Pierce, could have easily appointed a HYDRA operative to the position of Director. Yet he kept letting the good guys have the job. Keller wasn't HYDRA either. Why did Pierce take such a huge risk?

Perhaps it was because of Fury's obsession with dangerous relics. It rivaled HYDRA's. He had asked Sigyn to return to actively serving SHIELD as a Consultant. She had agreed, but she had two conditions. The first one was, Tony would never know about SHILED. Fury was going to let Sigyn keep paying SHIELD from her own pocket to cover the funding gap from Stark Industries. After Howard and Maria's death, Peggy and Sigyn had made sure that SHIELD would never request funding from Stark Industries again. If Tony decided to take a closer look at the company budget, he might realize where all that money had been going. They couldn't have taken the risk. Keller had agreed to this as well, saying he wasn't looking forward to dealing with "Howard Stark's spoiled brat" anyway. Fury shared the same opinion, at least for a time.

Her second condition concerned Peggy's great-niece. Much to Sigyn's horror, Sharon Carter had been admitted into the SHIELD Academy of Operations, and was one of the most promising cadets the Academy had ever seen. Sigyn hated it, knowing the girl was surrounded by dormant HYDRA agents, but telling Peggy or Sharon the truth was unthinkable now. Odin had been right. The Starks had died because of Sigyn's arrogance. She couldn't let the Carters share a similar fate. So, she had told Fury to take Sharon under his wing, without telling why. "_She is a Carter, of course I'm going to keep my eye on her," _Fury had said. Hopefully, that would be enough to keep HYDRA away from her.

For HYDRA was a more immediate threat, she didn't think much about Thanos anymore. But in 2004, Fury told her that King T'Chaka of Wakanda had demanded intel on Thanos, Sigyn, and Loki in exchange for vibranium and Wakandan tech. That was how Sigyn found out Wakanda was secretly the most technologically advanced country in the world. To her surprise, Fury asked for her permission before telling them anything. And of course, he had asked her who Thanos was. She had no idea what this was about, but she refused to reveal herself to Wakanda, and told Fury she had never heard of a Thanos before. Like Odin had said, it was best to stay out of mortal affairs. And to be honest, anything that concerned Thanos terrified her.

In 2009, Fury broke his first promise when Tony became "Iron Man." He wanted to recruit him for the Avengers Initiative program. Tony refused, but Fury wasn't going to give up easily. And the Avengers Initiative wasn't his only focus. Six months after the Iron Man announcement, she saw a bunch of SHIELD agents waiting outside her house while returning from grocery shopping one afternoon.

"Director Fury is inside," one of them told her.

She entered, and found him in the kitchen, playing with Goose with a laser pointer. Sometimes he was trying really hard to lose his other eye, too.

"Don't get too attached, they don't have a very long lifespan," she said, placing the bags in her hands on the kitchen counter.

"_Attached_? You're the one who adopted Goose."

"I was talking to her."

"Ah…"

"And I didn't _adopt _Goose. She just lives here." After regurgitating the Tesseract, Goose had refused to leave the house. She came and went as she pleased, but this place had become her home, too.

"Whatever you say." He put the laser pointer into his pocket, and seated himself down on a couch. Sigyn sat down on a chair across from him.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure this time?"

"I need the Tesseract."

"I told you, the Tesseract stays with me. I don't trust anyone with it. I made an exception for Howard in the past, true, but the rest of Midgard is not ready to meddle with such forces."

"The World Security Council is growing restless. And they want to know what SHIELD has been doing with the cube since Howard's death. If I don't reinitiate Project PEGASUS, they're going to start digging, and you know what they're going to find if they dig deep enough. They're going to find you."

"Are you threatening me, Director?"

"Threatening you? Believe it or not, we're on the same side, Sigyn."

_You have no idea_, she thought. "You have broken a promise before. Why should I trust you again?"

He sighed impatiently. "Is this about Stark?"

"You'd promised to leave the boy alone."

"Well, that 'boy' is a grown-ass forty-something flying around in a metal suit. Not the mention the whole world knows about it. That's not something SHIELD could just ignore."

"I'm not just talking about him. You want to recruit his daughter as well."

"Yeah, I want to recruit the girl. As a scientist. After the official assessment, we'll invite her to join the Academy of Science and Technology. What's the harm in that?"

"You have more than enough scientists at your disposal, Fury. Ana Stark is already the heir to Stark Industries, she doesn't need to worry about SHIELD as well. Stay away from her."

A vague smirk played about his lips, and Sigyn understood that Fury had other plans for Ana Stark. "The Tesseract isn't the only reason I came all the way here."

Sigyn narrowed her eyes in suspicion, wondering why he had suddenly changed the subject. "What else do you want?" she asked, hoping this wasn't about another dangerous relic he had become obsessed with.

"Everything Howard had on the Tesseract and the Arc Reactor."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

"Oh, Sigyn… It's not so easy to keep secrets from me either, you know that, right? I know the Arc Reactor project is not finished. And I know it has something to do with the Tesseract."

She remained silent.

"I don't want it for myself," he went on. "Tony needs it. He is dying, Sigyn."

"What?"

"You heard me right. I was told that he'd be dead in 72 hours. That was five hours ago. The Arc Reactor in his chest is killing him. Palladium poisoning. Come on, you know I'm telling you the truth. You know those schematics better than I do. You know the Arc Reactor is powered by a palladium core."

Fury wasn't lying. Tony had been living with an Arc Reactor in his chest almost a year now. If what Fury said was true, he needed to discover the element at once, and replace it with palladium. Otherwise, he would die. The Stark Expo diorama was still with him, as far as she knew, but Howard's message was in that case he had given her, along with his notes on the Tesseract.

"I assume you will not help Tony unless I give you the Tesseract?"

"Oh, I will help him. I might even tell him the whole truth about SHIELD while I'm at it. About his father. About what he did for you."

"Excuse me?" she asked, hoping she had misunderstood.

"Howard used the supersoldier serum on you, didn't he? Or, at least some variation of it."

"This is ridiculous, even for you."

"Is it? Because I remember clearly, all those years ago, when we were captured by the Kree, they said you were an Asgardian-Terran hybrid. Threat: Medium to low. You're half-human, Sigyn. You should've never been able to take down a squad of highly-trained blue alien soldiers by yourself. Yet, you did it."

The fragile air of peace in the room was completely shattered after these words. They looked at each other defiantly. This was a battle of wills now. The one who broke first was going to lose. At times like this, Sigyn was tempted to reveal the truth about HYDRA to him, but she couldn't. Fury was a good man. And a brave one, too. He just had a dangerous obsession, not unlike another brave man she used to know.

"The supersoldier formula was lost after Dr. Erskine's death."

"No. If I had to guess, I'd say it was lost after Howard Stark's death. Tell me, Sigyn. Do you have anything to do with that accident?"

"If you think I'd ever hurt Maria or Howard, you're insane."

"I know you wouldn't hurt them. Not intentionally, at least. Still, I believe it was Howard's experiments with you that put him and his wife in harm's way."

"You're wrong."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe you'll want to discuss it with their son."

"You wouldn't dare…"

"No?"

"Remember how harshly you judged me for redacting Mar-Vell's files, Fury? How simple your life was once? Eventually, you had to get off your high horse, though. It was the only way to climb the ladder of hierarchy. Tell me, how many secrets you've covered up since then? How many files have you redacted? Sometimes you forget that I'm an Alfa member with a Clearance Level 10. Are you sure you want to piss me off? You're the most notorious spy in this world, and I know all of your secrets."

"_Most_ of them," he corrected her. "But you're right. So, we both got dirt on each other. I'm sure we can come to an arrangement. What do you say?"

"Fine," she relented. "I'll give you the Tesseract, and you'll keep your mouth shut. Also, if Tony dies of palladium poisoning, I'll strangle you in your sleep."

Fury grinned. "That's what I call a deal."

She left him in the kitchen, and went down to the vault at the basement to fetch both the cube and Howard's belongings.

"The case is enchanted," she warned him as she gave Fury the hard case, and she was telling the truth. "If anyone other than Howard's descendants tries to open it, it will kill them. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly."

"Who is going to work on the Tesseract?"

"We're assembling a team of scientists. It's going to be a joint project with NASA. I'll keep you updated."

"Thank you, Director," she said coldly, and handed him the smaller hard case that contained the Tesseract.

Fury didn't linger. He went out to Sigyn's garden, where three other SHIELD agents had been waiting. They all filed into the black SUV that had a SHIELD logo on it. Sigyn wished he were less conspicuous. Some of the townspeople were giving them wary looks.

…

Now that the Tesseract was with SHIELD and NASA, Sigyn had no reason to hide it from HYDRA in Tonsberg. She went to Washington DC to be with Peggy. Her Alzheimer's was getting worse, but everyone in the family was too busy to take care of her, so she was living in a nursing home now. It was a decent place, but Sigyn wished they hadn't left her alone like this.

"Oh, dear. Don't judge them too harshly," Peggy said, with a forgiving smile playing about her thinning, wrinkled lips. "This is how life is. I can't ask them to devote themselves to me. And they visit me as often as they can. Sharon, especially…"

Sharon and Peggy had always been so close. In a way, Sharon had become the heir to the Carter legacy. Her mother wasn't very happy about it. Peggy always said she was just worried about her daughter's safety, but Sigyn suspected that she also envied their bond between Peggy and Sharon. But then, this was human nature. Mortals just couldn't help themselves sometimes. Sigyn had indeed learned not to judge them too harshly.

"I know."

"She's started working in SHIELD's Special Service, as Agent 13. I'm so proud of her," she said, not realizing that she had already shared the same news a dozen times since Sigyn had come here.

"You should be."

"You two haven't met, have you?"

"No."

"Perhaps you should. You've been a good friend to me, Sigyn. I'd like you to do the same for her."

Sigyn knew Peggy meant well. But it was a bad idea.

"I'm sorry," she added quickly. "Sometimes, I forget how hard this is for you. I forget a lot of things these days…"

"It's alright, Peggy. I'm keeping an eye on her, I promise."

All of a sudden, her phone beeped. An emergency signal from SHIELD.

"What is it?" Peggy asked.

"An 0-8-4, it seems," she replied, tapping on the briefing file to open it. Then she gasped in shock.

"Sigyn?"

"This is Mjolnir… By Odin's beard, what's Thor doing in New Mexico?"

"Mjolnir?" Peggy asked.

This confused Sigyn. Peggy usually remembered the distant past clearly. It was the near past she struggled to remember. The illness affected her short-term memory.

"Thor's hammer, Peggy," she reminded her gently. "Remember I told you about Thor's hammer?"

The realization dawned on her face. "Oh, right… The hammer that can summon lightning. Why is it in New Mexico, indeed?"

"I have no idea."

She decided to be patient and wait. She cooked lunch for Peggy to keep herself occupied, then gave her her daily medicine, while still closely following any updates on the New Mexico situation. Mjolnir had been discovered by mortals, but none of them had been able to lift it. Now SHIELD was building a temporary compound around it. This didn't make any sense. Why had Thor still not shown up to claim it? He wouldn't just leave his hammer lying around to be found by mortals…

Eventually, when Peggy fell asleep, Sigyn decided to contact Sif. She could tell her what was going on in Asgard. She sent out her projection to find Sif and found her sister in the palace, with the Warriors Three. Volstagg and Fandral seemed to be having a quarrel, while Sif and Hogun were trying to calm them down. Sigyn revealed herself to them, which immediately brought the tension in the room to an end. They were always happy to hear from her.

"Hello, sister. Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun…"

They all smiled. "Sigyn! It's so good to see you!"

"Sister!" Sif ran up to her, but then froze when she remembered that this wasn't her physical form. Sif must have missed her. And to be honest, Sigyn had missed her, too.

"It's good to see you, too. How is Asgard?"

They all exchanged meaningful looks, confirming Sigyn's suspicions. She decided to cut to the chase. "Tell me what happened to Thor."

Hogun frowned. "How do you know?"

"I have access to all SHIELD files, remember? They found Mjolnir in New Mexico."

"Do they know of Thor?" Fandral asked.

"No, they labeled the hammer as an 0-8-4."

They looked at each other again, this time in confusion.

"0-8-4 means an object of unknown origin, which means they don't know about Thor, or Asgard… Yet. Agent Phil Coulson is in charge of the operation. He is not of HYDRA, don't worry."

"Good," Sif said, then turned to the Warriors Three. "She needs to know."

"Know what?"

"Sister, Thor has been banished."

"Thor?" she cried in disbelief. "Banished? Why?"

"A handful of Frost Giants attacked Asgard during his coronation. The ceremony was called off, of course, and we went to Jotunheim to find answers."

"You went to Jotunheim?"

"Thor insisted. And that's why the Allfather banished him."

Sigyn sighed thoughtfully.

"When we were in Jotunheim, Laufey told us something," Sif went on. "That there were traitors in the house of Odin, and they let the Frost Giants into Asgard. Tell us, sister. Could it be Loki? You know him better than any of us."

She thought for a moment. Loki could use the secret passages to let the Frost Giants in, and cloak them invisible, of course, but why would he do that? "Loki loves Thor. He loves Asgard. He is no traitor."

Sif shook her head. "After everything he has done to you, you still love him. He doesn't deserve you."

"He didn't do anything to me, Sif. I was the one who broke his heart. I guess I broke your hearts, too, when I came here, but… I still believe I did the right thing. I love you all, but my life had no purpose in Asgard."

"Father says the same," Sif said with a sad, but understanding smile. "But he misses you, too."

"I know. I miss him, too."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm in Washington DC, with Peggy."

"How old is she now? One hundred?" Volstagg asked, with a mixture of pity and concern in his voice.

"No, but she is close."

"Is it too far from this… New Mexico?" Sif asked.

"It is, but with my ship, I can be there in two or three hours."

"Can you go to him? He might need your help." Sif was almost begging her.

"Sister, I understand your concerns, I really do. Midgard is very different from the other eight realms. When I first came here, I'd have been doomed, had it not been for my mortal friends. And Thor… He is not exactly the most adaptable person in the universe, I know. But Director Fury is the only SHIELD agent who knows about me now, and I'd like to keep it that way. Once the dust settles and SHIELD retreats from New Mexico, I'll go to him, I swear."

"And what if they capture Thor? Odin has taken away his powers; he's vulnerable."

"If that happens, I'll call Fury and tell him to send Thor to me." Suddenly, another possibility occurred to her. "Sif? Does Thor know the truth about SHIELD?"

"He does. We all do. But don't worry, we all took an oath of silence after what happened to the Starks. Thor might be reckless, but he is no fool. He won't say a word about HYDRA."

She nodded. "I know, sister. It's just… I'd never forgive myself if another mortal got hurt because of what we know. So, how long will this banishment last?"

"We don't know. The Allfather has fallen into Odinsleep. Loki is king now, but he refuses to let Thor come home. Can't you talk to him?"

"I'll speak with the Queen first." She knew Loki too well. Speaking to him directly under such circumstances might backfire. Yes, they still cared about each other, but they hadn't spoken again after his visit to Mar-Vell laboratory.

They bid her farewell, and then Sigyn's astral form went to find Frigga this time. She found the Queen in their private chambers with the Allfather, who seemed to be in Odinsleep. Her heart sank when she saw him like that. Odin might have been cruel to her at times, but he was their king. And wise and benevolent one at that.

"My queen?"

Frigga turned around to look at her. "Sigyn, my dear…"

"Will he be alright?"

She looked at him and sighed. "It's hard to say. It was too sudden. We were unprepared."

Sigyn watched him in silence for a while. She had read about Odinsleep when she was a child, of course, like she had read about everything else, but books had failed to prepare her for the actual thing. "So, that's what it looks like…"

"Yes. You can talk to him if you want. He can hear you."

"I… I don't know what to say, my queen. I'm sorry."

"No. _I_ am sorry, child. There are things we should have told you a long time ago."

"What kind of things?"

"The truth about Loki. When we realized you two were in love, I asked Odin to be honest with you. You both deserved to know. Your future depended on it."

"Know what, exactly? My queen, what is going on?"

"Loki is… He is adopted."

Sigyn looked at her, but didn't say anything. If only she could say she was shocked. General Talos' words echoed in her head. _"You Asgardians bury your secrets so deep that even you can't find them."_ Though she still didn't know what he was talking about—she couldn't dare ask Heimdall, let alone Odin himself—it had never once occurred to her that she could be married to one of those secrets. Perhaps it should have.

"Odin found him in Jotunheim after the battle," Frigga went on. "Laufey had left him in the temple to die. Odin disguised his true form with his magic, and brought him here. Loki found out today, and confronted Odin. That's why he suddenly went into Odinsleep like this."

"That's why he made me swear that I'd bear no children, right? It wasn't only because I was half-mortal. He was afraid that I'd give birth to a Frost Giant, and the truth would come out."

"Yes."

Sigyn released a deep, troubled breath and rubbed her temples. Poor Loki… She couldn't even imagine how hard this must have been for him.

"Loki is the King of Asgard now," Frigga reminded her. "And you are his queen."

"But you…"

"I'm just the Queen Mother now. You must come home, my dear. Your husband needs you. Your realm needs you."

"But I've sworn an oath…"

"Loki can release you from that oath. We can send someone else to guard the Tesseract."

"But they won't know Midgard the way I do. I might not be able to stop HYDRA, but at least I know how to keep them at bay."

"Loki needs you, Sigyn," she repeated. "Does that not mean anything to you?"

"I love him, my queen. But I wish not to be released from my oaths. Besides, Thor will need my guidance, too."

A look of concern crossed her face. She was worried about her first-born, too. "Will you go to him?"

"Of course. Once SHIELD leaves him alone. I don't want HYDRA to know that we are… related."

"That's wise. Take good care of him, will you?"

"Of course. Farewell, my queen."

…

Sigyn never had to go to New Mexico, because Thor returned to Asgard before Agent Coulson could even debrief him. Shortly afterwards, there was a strange shift in the very essence of the universe, like a branch of Yggdrasil was being ripped off. It was so forceful that Sigyn wondered if it was Ragnarok. Still, not wanting to frighten her, she didn't share her concerns with Peggy. Once it ceased, she contacted Queen Frigga again. This time, she found her in her study, not by Odin's side.

"My queen?"

"You felt it, didn't you?" she asked solemnly.

"What was it?"

"The Bifrost is destroyed."

Sigyn gasped. "By whom?"

"Thor."

"I—I don't understand…"

"Loki wanted to unleash the full power of the Bifrost upon Jotunheim. Thor had no other choice. The catastrophe was so powerful that it awakened Odin."

Only then, Sigyn began to realize how much Loki actually needed her support. He had found out he was a Frost Giant, and his first action as king had been to destroy the realm of the Frost Giants. If she had been with him… "I—I'm so sorry, my queen. You were right; he needs me. I'll return to Asgard at once, and—"

"He is gone."

Sigyn froze. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Frigga went on, "He fell from the Bifrost, into an abyss that was created by the destruction of the bridge. Odin was able to save only Thor."

Sigyn's ears were humming. She forced herself to remain composed in front of the Queen, whose voice had suddenly become so distant, wondering how much more grief she could take before going mad. She had wanted to change that future, yes, but not like this. If her absence was what had led Loki do this, then it wasn't very different from stabbing him in the heart. It was still her doing.

"We mustn't lose hope. He might have survived the fall."

Sigyn looked at her, taken aback."Do you really believe that?"

"Of course I do. I'll keep looking for him through astral projection. You should do the same."

"I will," she said quickly, nodding, but tried not to get too hopeful. "So, Thor is back in Asgard, but the Bifrost is gone… What will happen now?"

"Once our enemies realize what happened to the Bifrost, the other realms will be plunged into chaos. Do you still have the Tesseract?"

"Unfortunately, no. The World Security Council was getting suspicious. At least one of the members is of HYDRA. I had to give to SHIELD. They're experimenting with it."

She frowned. "When will their experiments end?"

"I don't know. But I'll ask Director Fury."

"You do that. You must be ready to take the cube from those mortals by force if it comes to that."

"I understand."

"Good. We're counting on you now, child. In the meantime, we will try to find a way to repair the bridge."

With these words, she disappeared.

So, her husband was dead. Her duty as the guardian of the Tesseract might soon end. The thought of being back in Asgard unsettled her. She missed her family and her friends in Asgard, yes. But to be honest, she didn't miss anyone else. Now that she was much stronger, would they respect her? Or, would she just be seen as another kind of freak this time? She decided to go to Peggy's room and talk to her.

Peggy was awake, sitting in a chair and looking out the window. Sigyn pulled a chair to sit across from her.

"Is everything alright?"

"I just spoke with the Queen. My husband is dead."

Peggy let out a small gasp, and took Sigyn's hand. "I'm so sorry, dear."

"Thank you."

"Will you go to Asgard for his funeral?"

"There will be no funeral. He fell into an abyss."

"Oh…"

"Queen Frigga said he might have survived. But I don't want to get too hopeful. I'm really glad you're here right now."

"I wish I could do more. You've lost so much, Sigyn. And you keep losing more. Alien or not, no one should bear such a heavy burden."

Suddenly, Sigyn burst into laughter. The irony was so sad, yet so hilarious at the same time.

"Sigyn?" Peggy asked warily.

"It's… nothing. It's just… The first funeral I witnessed was my mother's. I was so devastated, but I kept reminding myself that it would be the only funeral I'd ever have to attend. That I wouldn't outlive anyone else I cared about. Now I'm starting to wonder if I'm to outlive Ragnarok itself. _This_ is my curse, Peggy. Not mortality."

Peggy gave her hand a squeeze. For about ten minutes, they sat in companionable silence. Then, she said, "Sigyn?"

"Yes?"

"It's Sharon… She's started working in SHIELD's Special Service, as Agent 13!"

"So I've heard, Peggy. You should be proud of her."

"Oh, I am. You've been a good friend to us, Sigyn. I hope you'll do the same for her."

"I'll keep an eye on her." Sigyn smiled at her, then turned her head to the window and pretended to watch the clouds, so that Peggy wouldn't see the look on her face.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Just wanted to add a quick note. If you're reading this story as a standalone, but want to know how Wakanda knew about Sigyn, you can read the first three chapters of _The Princess_. Thanks everyone who commented, it's great to see there are people who have been enjoying this series.**


	17. Chapter 17

Loki was alive.

It was Queen Frigga who had been able to reach him first, but he had refused to speak with her. Then Sigyn had tried, but to no avail. And to be honest, what she had seen had scared Sigyn. He hadn't said much, but she had never seen her husband so dark, so vengeful before. _"I will have your precious mortals,"_ he had said, and then hidden himself from her. Sigyn wanted to believe this was just an idle threat, but she decided not to leave Peggy out of her sight, just in case. Sharon could handle herself, Tony had his Iron Man suits, and was known to be extremely protective of his daughter. That left Peggy's children, but Fury promised to send agents to keep an eye on them. Fury might be ruthless at times, but he wasn't too bad.

"I know," Peggy agreed when Sigyn told her this. "I'm glad Nick is the Director of SHIELD now."

Sigyn sighed. "I just wish he understood the forces he meddled with."

"Sigyn, look…" Peggy was pointing at something behind her. When she turned around to look, Sigyn saw that it was Odin's astral form. He seemed deeply troubled. And if he had decided to visit Sigyn himself, this must be very important.

"Allfather? Is everything alright?"

"Loki has stolen the Tesseract."

"What?"

"He managed to open a portal from the other side, and came to Midgard. He is planning to start a war, Sigyn. You must stop him and take the Tesseract back."

"A war? Against whom?"

"Against mortals."

"Well, I remember how he threatened me. But this doesn't make any sense. He cannot wage a war by himself, even with the Tesseract…"

"He has an army. The Chitauri, they are called. He needs the Tesseract to be able to unleash them upon mortals."

_Damn_, she thought. "Has he lost his mind?"

"Perhaps. But you've taken an oath, Sigyn. You're the guardian of the Tesseract. That oath surpasses any other. I was able to send Thor to Midgard with dark energy. Find him, and together you can put an end to this."

"Allfather, Loki is my husband. I cannot fight him."

"What do you wish to do, then?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "As his wife, I'm supposed to fight Loki's war. But as the guardian of the Tesseract, I'm supposed to stop anyone who wants to use it to wreak havoc across the realm. I cannot fulfill one oath without breaking the other, so I'd like to stay out of this conflict completely."

"I understand your confusion, Sigyn. I really do. But know this: If you do not fight by Thor's side today, you will be banished from Asgard forever."

"So be it." She wasn't looking forward to going back to Asgard anyway.

Their conversation was interrupted when Peggy started coughing uncontrollably. Sigyn went to help her sit up in the bed, and drink some water. When she looked at where Odin's projection had been, he was gone.

"Sigyn, what have you done?" Peggy scolded her once she was able to speak again.

She shrugged. "I guess this is where my duty ends, and my exile begins."

"Oh, dear, don't be so dramatic. You Asgardians take these 'oaths' too seriously. By stopping him, you wouldn't be betraying your husband. Sometimes, people need to be saved from themselves. Do you remember how Michael saved me?"

"Of course I do. He was the one who recommended you to be a field agent."

"I was so angry with him at first, but now not a day goes by I don't thank him for reminding me who I really was."

"But this is different, Peggy. If Loki refuses to surrender peacefully, I might have to…"

Her phone started to ring. It was Fury.

"Loki has stolen the cube, I know," she said the moment she answered the call.

"Good. Then you know why I need all hands on deck for this one."

"_All hands on deck_? Please tell me you didn't do it…"

"Do what?"

"Reactivate the Avengers Initiative?"

"Why? You got better ideas?"

"At least don't bring Tony into this…"

"Like I said, I need all hands on deck."

"Fury, Loki is going to go specifically after him just to spite me!"

"Stark is more than capable of protecting himself."

"What about Sharon?"

"Well, I don't need Captain America to see his future neighbor walking around in a SHIELD uniform, so…"

"Good," she said, glad that she hadn't put the call on speaker.

Peggy didn't know Steve Rogers had been found in ice yet. She didn't know Fury had also promised Sigyn that he would assign Sharon to monitor him undercover once he was ready to go back to civilization, for this was the safest long-term mission he could think of for someone with Sharon's qualifications. Sigyn was pleased, but had decided that it was something Peggy needed to hear from Sharon herself. If Sharon chose to share it with her, of course.

"What about you?" Fury asked.

"I'm going to sit this one out."

"Really, Sigyn? You're the guardian of the Tesseract, your husband takes it and threatens our world with war, and you're just going to _sit this one out_?"

"I'm no longer the guardian of the Tesseract. Odin has just relieved me from that duty."

"Well, _I_ haven't. I'll send you a debriefing file in a minute. Perhaps that will change your mind." He hung up.

Indeed, a few minutes later, Sigyn received the file. She was right to be afraid. Loki had already brainwashed one of Thor's mortal friends, Dr. Erik Selvig with a scepter. He must have chosen that poor man specifically to spite Thor. Sigyn couldn't even fathom what he had in mind for the Starks and the Carters.

Or, if he was truly beyond hope, he could just reveal the truth about HYDRA and cause a global turmoil.

…

Sigyn and Peggy watched the Chitauri army attack New York on TV with sheer terror. The portal had been opened just above the new Stark Tower; no doubt this wasn't a coincidence. Sigyn wondered if the whole thing was her fault. Thankfully, Fury's plan worked, and the Avengers defeated the Chitauri. Thor took Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard.

Ten minutes after the battle, Peggy had already forgotten that an alien army had invaded New York, or even Steve Rogers was one of those who had fought against them. When her family had put Peggy in this place, Sigyn had assumed that it was because they were too busy with their own lives, but now she could see that it wasn't the only reason. It was just too painful to be around her. Sigyn had tried healing her mind, but unlike her mother's and Mr. Jarvis', Peggy's mind was feeble, shattered, and chaotic. It was something beyond Sigyn's healing abilities. She decided that she couldn't bear to see her friend like this anymore, and returned to Tonsberg. Besides, she was expecting Fury to pay her a visit after what had happened. She didn't want a bunch of men in dark suits storm into the nursing home and disturb the other people who lived there.

She didn't contact anyone from Asgard. She didn't ask for forgiveness, or even asked about the punishment that awaited Loki. She had made a choice, and now she was going to live with its consequences. She whiled away the days thinking about what exactly had happened to them and who was to blame for it, trying to find comfort in her mother's music. When she had first came here, those Pagan songs were on vinyl discs, then on cassettes and CDs. Now, they were easily accessible on the Internet. Midgard changed fast, unlike the other realms, and now that mortals knew they weren't alone in the universe, things would be a lot more complicated. After what Loki had done, SHIELD would no longer be able to keep everything under wraps. Perhaps for the first time in her life, change scared Sigyn, because she wasn't sure if this change was for the better or worse.

She was pondering this unclear future when the doorbell rang one afternoon. She went to open it, assuming it was Fury.

It wasn't Fury.

Despite everything she had done to stay away from the Stark family, that baby she had left on her father's doorstep twenty years ago was standing right before her now, along with another young girl who was about the same age.

_Loki, what have you done?_

"Good afternoon," Ana said politely. "Sorry to bother you, but we were, uhm… We wanted to—"

"Come inside."

"Were you expecting us?"

"I was expecting a visitor after what happened in New York. Just… not Howard's granddaughter." She turned around, gestured them to follow her, and made for the living room. This was going to be a long conversation.

"Did you know my grandfather?"

So, she didn't know… What had Loki told her? Or what had he_ not_ told her? Sigyn decided to be honest. She owed her that much.

"He was a good friend of mine. As was Peggy… This realm used to be a simpler one back then. Now, nothing is ever going to be the same."

"Your name is Sigyn, right?"

"Yes. And I assume you're here to learn more about your mother?"

Ana made no reply. Sigyn studied her for a brief moment. She looked like Maria. She was wearing Maria's favorite necklace, which emphasized the resemblance even more. It was a gift Howard had given her on their first wedding anniversary, and Sigyn was sure they would be pleased that their granddaughter had it now. Ana seemed pretty uncomfortable about being here, though. She might have inherited her father's and grandfather's genius, but not their confidence, it appeared.

"Please, have a seat."

They did, and the other girl put an arm around Ana's shoulders. It took a while for Sigyn to remember who she was, but then realized this girl wasn't just a random friend Ana had brought along. She was Princess Shuri of Wakanda. Sigyn had read all the SHIELD files on the Wakandan Royal family to see how they might know about Asgard or Thanos, but hadn't been able to discover a connection. She just hoped they hadn't brought Ana into whatever they were up to.

"Coffee, or tea?"

"No, thanks," Ana said, and Princess Shuri shook her head as well.

Both girls were extremely tense, so Sigyn decided to do them a favor and cut to the chase. "Loki," she said, sucking in a sharp breath. "My husband has always been one for mischief… I don't know what he told you, but I did what I did to pay my debt of gratitude to Howard."

"Wait… You're not my mother, are you?"

Her _mother_? She knew Loki was trying to spite her, but… Seriously, what exactly had Loki told this girl?

"If you had Aesir blood in your veins, you would know it. And I'm still faithful to my husband."

"Sorry. I meant no offense, of course."

"Look, Irene had no right to hide a child from her father. I had to do something about it."

"I—I don't understand. Who is Irene?"

"Irene Clarke. Your mother."

For a moment, everyone was quiet.

"Tony and Irene were both studying at Cambridge. That's how they met," she went on.

"Was she just a one-night stand, or…"

"I don't know the details of the… affair. I took you from the hospital after her death. She was already ill by the time you were conceived… Stage four breast cancer. She died three weeks after your birth."

"How come does my father not know about this? Didn't she try to contact him?"

"Contact him? She was too proud. Too proud to admit that she had been seduced by a playboy, and then left with a broken heart. She was hoping Tony would never know he had a daughter. That would've been Irene's posthumous revenge."

At that moment, Sigyn saw a familiar look on Ana's face, and she knew what she had just said had changed something in Ana permanently. Because it was the same look of betrayal that had appeared on Howard's face when he had learned the truth about the last blood sample of Captain Rogers.

"So, it was you who left me on my dad's doorstep…"

"Yes. You were born in London. After I took you to your father, I tracked down everyone who knew about you, and erased their memories."

"Why did you do that?"

"To make sure Tony could raise you in peace. Anyway, what else do you want to know about your mother?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"I wasn't here for my mother."

"Why, then?"

"Loki said you could help us defeat Thanos."

_Shit._ How did Loki know about Thanos?

"You know what I'm talking about."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "What do you want from me?"

"We were hoping you could tell us what the Nexus is."

"I don't know what that is."

"It has something to do with the Infinity Stones."

"Get out," Sigyn hissed. These girls had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

They stood up, but Ana wasn't going to give up easily. "Please. You said you owed Howard Stark a debt."

"And I paid that debt when I took you to your father. That was the last time I meddled in mortal affairs! Perhaps I shouldn't have done even that. My duty was to guard the Tesseract, not the Starks!"

"You were in my vision!" Princess Shuri cried. "You were helping us send Ana back in time and stop Thanos!"

So, the Wakandan princess had received some kind of vision as well. That was how they knew. But it didn't matter. "You are not ready!" She conjured her sword, hoping it would be enough to intimidate them. But in response, they took out their own guns and pointed them at her. "I'd warned Fury about the Tesseract. He didn't listen to me, and look what happened in New York!"

"You're going to regret this!" Shuri snarled. "I know what Thanos will make you do."

"So do I. But I'll never trust mortals again. Take your friend, and leave in peace now, Ana Stark. I'm giving you one last chance, for Howard's sake."

"Okay." Ana lowered her gun. "Come on, Shuri. Let's go."

Shuri, too, lowered her gun, and let Ana lead her out of the house. Sigyn sent her sword back to her pocket dimension. She waited until they left.

"BITCH!" she heard Shuri yell before closing the door. For some reason, Shuri seemed even more desperate than Ana. But Sigyn wasn't going to tell them anything. Not before figuring out what was going on, at least. So, she called Fury the moment she was sure the girls had left town, but he didn't answer the phone. He was probably still busy cleaning up the mess the Battle of New York had left behind. So, Sigyn left a message, saying that there was an urgent matter they needed to discuss.

While she was still waiting to hear from Fury, Shuri's brother, Prince T'Challa, paid her a visit one night. He tried to convince her to tell them about the Infinity Stones. She refused once again. Meddling with those stones had caused mortals nothing but trouble so far. But she advised him to join the Avengers if he wanted to be prepared for Thanos. They had proven themselves in the Battle of New York, and were now Midgard's best hope against the Mad Titan.

…

Fury called her back three days later.

"I can't say I was expecting to hear from you anytime soon," he said bitterly, making Sigyn wonder if he had kept her waiting on purpose. But she decided not to quarrel with him.

"Ana came to me, with Princess Shuri of Wakanda. They knew things they weren't supposed to know."

"Things about Thanos?"

"Yes."

"A meeting is in order, Sigyn. I'll send you the coordinates of the rendezvous point. Meet me there tonight. There's something I've been planning to show you for some time."

He hung up, and a few minutes later, Sigyn received the coordinates. It was an uncharted island in the North Atlantic, but Fury had secret facilities all around the world, so Sigyn wasn't surprised.

Fury was already there by the time she landed. It appeared he had come alone. He approached the gates, and waited for the retinal scanner.

"How many people have access into this facility?" she asked as the big metal doors clicked open.

"Just me and Ana Stark. Though she doesn't know it yet."

"I don't understand…"

"You will. Come."

She followed him into the bunker. It was smaller than Sigyn had imagined, and mostly empty. There was an elevator, but Fury didn't take it. Instead, he opened a secret hatch on the ground. It led into a long, winding tunnel. There was a metal door at the end. He took out a key and unlocked the door.

This was a lab. If it weren't for the relic that stood on a table in the center, all this secrecy wouldn't make any sense. But there it was, the scepter Loki had used to command his army…

The energy that radiated from it reminded her of the Tesseract, and the Eye of Agamotto.

"This scepter contains the Mind Stone," Fury said.

"How do you know that?" Fury, too, knew things he wasn't supposed to know. Something was going on. Thanos, the Infinity Stones, Wakanda, Loki… They were all connected. The realization sent a chill down her spine, but she forced herself to remain calm. She had to know. The Time Stone had trusted her for a reason. Maybe it didn't want to be used by Thanos.

"Believe it or not, this is not even the most important thing in this room."

Sigyn shot him a questioning look, wondering what could possibly be more important than an Infinity Stone. Fury crossed to a vault door in the far corner. He opened it, revealing what looked like a sophisticated coffin.

"What's this?"

"A cryo chamber," he answered, and then opened it.

When he did, a loud gasp escaped Sigyn's lips. "Is that… Ana?"

"She is, and she is not."

"Explain. Now."

"This is a time-traveler, killed by Obadiah Stane's hired thugs, while Stark was in Afghanistan."

"Stane tried to kill her?" she asked, but she couldn't say she was shocked. Obadiah Stane was a traitor, and Ana was known to be working on time-traveling. It looked like one day she would succeed.

"Yes."

"So, she was dead when you found her… Yet, I have the feeling that she was your source of information."

He gave her a defying look, but remained silent.

"You brought her back from the dead, didn't you? With Kree blood? I should kill you for that alone! You son of a bitch…"

The body of a dead Kree was one of the alien artifacts Fury had been collecting. Sigyn didn't know where he kept it these days, but she very well knew what he was doing with it.

Perhaps for the first time since they met, Sigyn saw an expression of fear on Fury's face. Also, it didn't escape her notice that his hand went for his gun. But she knew she couldn't kill him, no matter how furious she was right now. She needed Fury to live and do what he did best as long as possible.

"Well, you've never bothered to hide your distaste for the Kree…"

"Am I wrong about them? You know what they did to Carol. The thing is, Fury, you're no better from them either. Carol failed to see that. If she hadn't, maybe she'd still be here!"

"I'm not your enemy, Sigyn! How many times do I have to tell you this?"

"You try to turn everyone and everything around you into a weapon!"

"I'm the Director of SHIELD! Do you think I have a choice?"

"This is Howard's granddaughter we're talking about!"

"You're treating her as a person. This _thing_ is not a person, not in this reality. She came here to warn her past self, and me against Thanos. She's just a temporal aberration, and a valuable asset, nothing more." He paused when he saw how Sigyn was glaring at him, then added, "Her words, not mine. She knew I'd use GH.326 on her. In fact, she was counting on that."

"What did she tell you? What happened in that future?"

"Thanos won. Earth got destroyed. He snapped his fingers and killed half of the universe, then adopted you, Ana, and Princess Shuri."

"So, he didn't destroy the other realms entirely. Why did he make an exception for Midgard?"

He shrugged. "I guess we were too much trouble for him."

"Damn…" Sigyn leaned forward to be able to inspect the body more closely, and sensed another familiar form of magic. Her own. "She has my magic!"

"Yes. You cast a spell on her before she traveled back in time, to disguise her as her teenage self."

With a wave of her hand, Sigyn removed the spell, and realized this Ana was actually in her thirties. "What about Wakanda? Who warned them against Thanos?"

"Wakanda is still a mystery to us. The time-traveler was also quite surprised when I told her. That wasn't a part of her plan. But we should be glad. They're the most technologically advanced people on this planet. We're going to need their resources when Thanos comes knocking."

"How much time do we have, before Thanos comes?"

"He will come in 2018."

"If he finds out about this, he'll hasten his plans."

"He won't make his move before Odin dies. He's not stupid. You must keep your king alive as long as you can."

Sigyn rubbed her forehead to give herself a moment to think. This was just… too much. "How much does Tony know?"

"He's got no idea. Ana is leaving him out of this… For his own good."

"How much does Ana know?"

"She received a message of her own."

"Does she know that you have the time-traveler?"

"She's not ready for that part. Why do you think I want her at the Academy? She'll try to earn my trust, not know knowing I'm the one who's trying to earn hers."

"Is that what happened in the other reality?"

"Not exactly. Ana never went to the Academy in that timeline. But she knows herself better than anyone else."

"I don't know, Fury… I was the one who took this girl to her father. I've been observing her from a safe distance since then. She's not someone who is cut out for this kind of fight. She's no warrior."

He snorted. "No? Why do you think Thanos adopted her? She might not be a fighter, but believe me, she is ruthless and cunning enough to impress a guy like Thanos. That's saying something, isn't it?"

"You seem pretty impressed yourself," Sigyn said accusingly. Once again, she could see the desire to turn Ana into a weapon on his face.

"Thanos was the one who sent Loki," Fury suddenly said. "He was the one who found your husband after he fell into a wormhole. He was the one who gave him an army, in exchange for the Tesseract. He's started looking for the stones, Sigyn."

She froze. Fury must have said this to deflect the conversation from the subject of Ana, but still… Loki. The question was, what had made Loki think she could help Ana? Did he know about Sigyn's vision?

"I—I have to go…"

"Alright. Before you leave… I hope you're not planning to sit _this_ one out?

"I'm not sure yet," she mumbled, and stormed off.

…

A trip to Kamar-Taj was in order. The fastest way to get there was to use the New York Sanctum. After switching to auto-pilot, she decided to swallow her pride and contact Loki. To her relief, she found him reading a book in a clean, bright, well-furnished dungeon cell. No matter what he might have done, she didn't want to see him suffer.

"Hello, Loki."

He looked up from the book, put it aside, and rose from the armchair. There was no shame or regret in his eyes, but there was no trace of that unusual venomous malice either. He smiled bitterly. "I was starting to think you'd never come."

There was no time for cute, witty exchanges. "How do you know about my vision?"

"What?" He seemed confused, but Sigyn decided not to fall for it. He was Asgard's most infamous liesmith, after all.

"How do you know about my vision?" she repeated firmly.

"Are you playing some kind of Midgardian game with me?"

"I'm not playing any games."

"I don't know anything about your vision, whatever that means."

"Then why did you send Ana to me?"

He shrugged mischievously. "I thought you'd be happy to see her."

"No, you sent her to me because she told you about Thanos, didn't she? How did you know I'd received a warning as well?"

When his smirk was replaced with an expression of genuine fear, Sigyn realized he hadn't been lying. "What?" he gasped.

"Years ago, I met… a group of mortal sorcerers in Midgard. I've sworn an oath to keep their secrets. All I can tell you is that I received a vision of the future with their help."

"What did you see?"

She shivered when she remembered it. "We were on a ship. There were dead Asgardians everywhere. The rest of us were captured, including Thor. And Thanos had decided to adopt me. He made me kill you. He wanted me to choose. It would be either you, or Sif…"

"So, you chose to kill me…"

"I had to," she said apologetically.

"I know. You owe your sister a lover after what happened to Haldor."

"Why did you agree to serve such a monster, Loki?"

"_Agree_?" he snarled. "Do you think I _agreed_? He tortured me, Sigyn! He tortured me to weaken my mind, and then used the Scepter to turn it against me!"

Sigyn's heart sank. Her husband had been tortured, and she had had no idea. She should have known. "Forgive me."

"I don't need your pity. What I did in New York… It would be a lie if I said I didn't enjoy it. Thanos didn't put anything in mind that wasn't already in there. He simply freed me from whatever conscience I had left."

"Really, Loki? Was your 'conscience' the only thing that stopped you from turning into a villain in the past? Is that how much you despise me?"

"Yes! You and Thor both chose mortals over me!"

"We didn't choose anyone over you, Loki! Thor loved you. And I always wanted you to be a part of my life in Midgard. I only pushed you away after that vision."

"Don't feel guilty about it. You didn't know you were marrying a Frost Giant…"

"I have no regrets."

"Oh, come now, Sigyn! You were my wife! I kissed you, I made love to you, and had Odin not made you swear a vow, I would've put a child in you! Don't tell me you're not disgusted by the mere thought!"

"I'm not," she said, and it was the truth.

"I invaded your mother's world, I stole the relic you'd sworn to protect with your life, I tried to kill the descendants of your beloved friends, and you still think I love you?"

"You didn't tell them about HYDRA," she reminded.

When Loki turned away from her to avoid her gaze, Sigyn knew she had won this argument. "How can you_ not_ be disgusted by me?"

"Why are you so surprised? You were never disgusted by me."

He pursed his lips stubbornly.

"If anything," she went on, "Now that the truth has come out, I know why we're perfect for each other. You don't know what you are. You're not an Asgardian, but you're not a Frost Giant either. I made the same mistake in the past. I let my father's people convince me that I was neither mortal, nor Asgardian. Do you know why I love it here in Midgard? Because this realm helped me see the truth."

"What truth?"

"That I'm both. So are you."

He scoffed. "Perhaps Odin should've forced me to live among the Jotunns as a punishment…"

"Believe it or not, that might have done you some good."

"No!" he spat.

She decided to return to the matter of Thanos. As strange as it might sound, it was an easier subject to discuss right now. "What does Odin say about Thanos?"

He shrugged. "Nothing."

"It doesn't make any sense. Heimdall must have told him everything… What about your mother?"

"She hasn't said anything either. But I think she knows."

"Of course she does."

"I think I know why they never speak of Thanos."

"Would you care to share your theory with me?"

"It's because of Thor. If he hears about Thanos, he'll do what he always does. He'll confront him."

"That would be suicide."

"Exactly. That's why Odin will do nothing until Thanos comes for the Tesseract. If it had been Thor who had fallen into the hands of Thanos, Odin would've declared war on him the moment he found out. But lucky for Asgard, it was me, so he did nothing." His chuckle was so bitter that for a moment, he looked like a wild beast to Sigyn.

"Loki, please… Stop this. Stop comparing yourself to Thor. It will bring you nothing but misery."

"Sigyn?" he said, his voice suddenly gentle.

"Yes?"

"I was wrong to send the Stark girl to you. Please just stay out of it."

"Loki, I can't. Thanos has been haunting me for decades. I tried to ignore the threat, but now I know he is coming. There is no denying it."

"You haven't seen the things I've seen. You don't know what he is capable of. I spent a year in his domain. That vision you had, it was nothing, believe me!"

The fear in his voice made Sigyn realized the gravity of the threat. No matter what Asgardians might say about sorcerers, Loki was no coward. He wouldn't be scared easily. And now, he was scared beyond words.

"Loki, listen… Me, Ana, Princess Shuri… We all have been warned against Thanos. I was in denial at first, but now I think it is for a reason. I saw the corpse of the time-traveler with my own eyes."

"Really?"

"Yes. Fury has it. When you met Ana, what did she tell you?"

"Not much. That Thanos will have the Infinity Stones, Midgard will be destroyed, she had to give up on time-traveling because otherwise she would create a time loop, and she has to create something called the Nexus to prevent that future."

"Yes, she asked me about the Nexus."

"She was telling the truth. I was inside her head for a time."

"I wish you hadn't, Loki. You're a part of this, too, don't you see it?"

"Why? Because I'm the first one to meet Thanos in person?"

"Not only that. We're all connected. I think we can defeat Thanos if we embrace our destiny."

"And what if we fail?"

"Then we won't let him take us alive."

He nodded gravely. "That's wise…"

"But first, we have to try. We have to do everything we can."

He shrugged. "Alright. But I'm afraid I won't be much of help from this cell."

"Loki?"

"Whatever Thanos has done to you, I wish I could undo it."

He smiled. "I'll be fine. What are _you_ going to do?"

"I'm on way to New York as we speak. I'm going to meet those mortal sorcerers again. Maybe I'll get another vision. This time, I have a specific question in mind."

He nodded. "Will you visit me again?"

"Of course."

Sigyn wanted to say _"I love you,"_ but for some reason, couldn't bring herself to do it. It had nothing to do with him being a Frost Giant, or even what he had done in Midgard. Yes, they were perfect for each other, as she had said. Too perfect, in fact. And it might not be a coincidence. Nothing in Asgard was ever a coincidence.

In the blink of an eye, she was back on her ship, alone, heading to New York. Hopefully, the Eye of Agamotto would show her what had gone wrong in that future.


	18. Chapter 18

The door of the New York Sanctum was unlocked. When Sigyn entered, there was no one to welcome her. She remembered where the portal to Kamar-Taj was, so she directly made for the door at the end of the corridor on the left. When she opened it, she realized the Ancient One was already waiting for her on the other side. She was exactly as Sigyn remembered her. She hadn't aged a day.

"Lady Sigyn… It has been a long time."

"Do you know why I came here?" she asked as she crossed the threshold.

"You're looking for answers."

She looked at the Eye of Agamotto, which stood in its usual place on the pedestal, tightly closed. "Will the Eye give them to me?"

"Hopefully."

"I don't understand… The Time Stone is at your disposal. Why don't you use it yourself?"

"Do you think I haven't tried? For some reason, I cannot see what is beyond my own death. It's not my fight, as I said before. It's yours."

At that moment, the Eye flew open, as if it wanted to prove the Ancient One right. Sigyn put it on.

This time, the vision started with a circular ship above New York. There were two Iron Man suits racing after it. One was red and gold, the other dark blue with bronze highlights. They caught up with the ship, and managed to enter before the doors were closed. Their helmets melted into the rest of the suits, revealing the familiar faces of Tony and Ana. They took some time to explore the ship. There was a mortal man down on the lower deck, being tortured by a despicable, twisted creature. He seemed too busy with his prisoner to notice the Starks. They began arguing, their voices were but whispers.

"Honey, you need to go back." Tony was almost begging his daughter. "This is a one-way ticket. You know it is."

"I do. That's exactly why I'm coming with you."

"No, Ana, look…" He pointed at a small screen on his left. "These must be the coordinates of the ship's destination. Once this is over, once Thanos is dealt with, you can come find me."

"I've never done anything like that before!"

"If there's anyone who can tear a hole in the universe for me, it's you. Plus, my suit has a tracker. All you have to is to pin down the right planet, then you can track my signal."

"No, Dad. I'm coming with you. Once we take care of Thanos, we can find a way to return home."

"And what if we can't? What if there is no way?"

"Then I'll be very glad that we're together."

"Ana, you're not thinking logically. If you don't leave now, we're both going to die stranded in another galaxy, light years away from Earth. The truth is, I don't want to die. But more importantly, I don't want_ you_ to die. I _can't_ watch you die, Ana. Don't do this to me. Go back to Earth now."

Tears pooled in her eyes. "Dad, I can't," she whimpered.

"Come on, kid. Do the math yourself… Where's that Ice Princess when I need her?"

She was still crying, but she chuckled through the tears. "I just don't want you to be alone…"

"Uhm, he won't exactly be alone…" a young boy in some kind of spider costume broke in nervously.

Tony became even more horrified when he saw the boy. "Oh, God, this is a nightmare…"

"Peter?" Ana cried.

"You should not be here!" Tony hissed at him.

"I know what you're going to say, and I was going home, but I just stuck to the side of the ship. This suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way. So, if anything, it's kind of your fault that I'm here." He paused, then added quickly. "I shouldn't have said that. I…"

Tony turned to Ana again. "See? Now the kid's counting on you, too."

"Then send _him_ back. He's younger."

"Honey, I'm not asking you to return only because you need to bring us home. It's also because we both know the key to stopping Thanos is in your head. I wish I could give you your memories back, Ana, but I can't. There's only one person who can."

She clenched her jaw angrily. "I don't need help from the Maximoff bitch…"

"Look, I don't like her either, but you have to. Vision has the Mind Stone. You have to warn the team, and find out what it was that Reyes wanted you to forget so badly. Then you have to warn SHIELD as well. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"Really, Dad? Do you really want me to go to the people who cut my skull open and messed with my brain? Not to mention that one of those people was supposed to be my best friend?"

"Does SHIELD do that?" Peter gasped.

"Yeah, it's called the TAHITI Protocol," Ana explained curtly.

"Ana, come on," Tony urged her. "This ship is moving too fast; this is your last chance. If you don't leave now, don't bother."

"Fine!" she gave in, and hugged her father. "I'll come back for you."

Tony kissed the top of her head. "I know you will. Now, go."

She released him, and looked at Peter. "Take good care of him."

The boy nodded solemnly. He seemed very proud that Ana trusted him with her father. They held onto something while Ana's helmet materialized again and she cut a small hole in the outer wall of the ship with some kind of laser beam. In the blink of an eye, she was sucked out. Tony sealed the hole after she disappeared. For a brief second, he looked at the sealed hole with a sad look on his face, but there was no trace of that sadness when he turned to face Peter.

"Come on, kid. We got a situation."

Ana was back on Earth, talking to Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, and a few other people Sigyn couldn't recognize. One of them had to be Vision, for the android had the Mind Stone on his forehead, and another the "Maximoff bitch" Ana had been talking about, because Ana was asking her to restore her missing memories. The redhead wasn't willing to do it.

"Wanda," Vision, who seemed torn between the two girls, said softly. "I know Ana made too many mistakes in the past, but she deserves a chance to redeem herself. Please do it. For me."

Wanda eyed Ana suspiciously. "If this is another one of your games…"

"I'm asking you to look into my mind. What can I possibly gain from that?"

"We'll see," Wanda said, and shot scarlet energy waves from her hands. They penetrated Ana's head, and Wanda closed her eyes like she was trying to focus, as her fingers controlled the energy waves. A few seconds passed before she withdrew completely. Both girls gasped, and looked at each other in shock. Vision's eyes were warily darting between them.

"Wanda?"

But Wanda didn't even hear him. "What are you going to do?" she asked Ana.

"I'm going to find Coulson," she muttered in resentment, and stormed off. Vision went after her.

"Ana, please!" he said. "I don't know what Wanda showed you, but please don't go. This is not a good time to start another fight among ourselves. Come to Wakanda with us."

"I have to go."

"I… I'm scared. I want you to be there with me."

"You have Maximoff," she said coldly. "And I've heard Princess Shuri is much smarter than I am. You'll be in good hands."

"JARVIS doesn't care how good they are. You're the only one he wants. He's scared, too."

Upon hearing that, Ana's expression changed completely. "I'm not going to SHIELD to cause drama. I'm going to find a way to kill Thanos. JARVIS has nothing to fear. Neither do you."

The scene changed. This time, Ana was arguing with another girl, in front of what looked like some kind of infusion chamber. Agent Coulson was there, too, along with a bunch of other people. Sigyn couldn't hear them. Their voices were muted, as if the Time Stone didn't want her to hear what they were saying.

"You had no right!" Ana yelled at them at some point.

"It was what he wanted," the other girl said in a small voice.

"I don't care whose idea it was. Thanos is coming, and there's no time to create the Nexus." She placed a hand on the chamber. "_This_ is the only other way."

"You can't force Daisy to enter that chamber," Coulson said in a protective, almost fatherly manner.

"You're right. I can't. Even if I could, I wouldn't. I'm not like you guys. But know this: If Thanos wins, all that blood will be on your hands. Because you chose to eliminate the only heads-up humanity got in time, and now, you're too scared to use what you have!"

The scene changed again. This time, Tony was standing amidst dust and rubble, his face bleeding, his armor shattered. Sigyn's heart jumped when she saw Thanos approaching him. He was wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, and he had all the six stones, but the gauntlet was charred, along with his arm.

"If you want me to fix _that,_ don't bother," Tony said. He was standing tall and proud, but he seemed to have accepted defeat.

"I want to show you something. Come." He grabbed Tony with his free hand, and teleported them onto a ship. Then he urged Tony to look out the window.

When Tony obeyed, he saw the remains of Midgard. Only a small part of it had remained in its usual orbit. Millions of pieces of rock were floating around, like crumbs of bread.

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Oh, Stark… Don't you recognize your own home?"

He started shaking his head frantically. "No. No, this is one of your tricks… You're using the Reality Stone on me."

"This is real. You know it is."

Thanos waited patiently until the reality sunk in for Tony. When it did, he collapsed on his knees. "Why? You said half of humanity would still be alive… You promised!"

"I did. _This_ wasn't me. Your world was already destroyed by the time I came for the Mind Stone. Now we're truly alike. In fact, your story is even more tragic than mine, for this is your own daughter's doing."

When he heard Ana's name, he got back on his feet again. "Leave her out of this, or I swear I'll find a way to kill you this time."

"Oh, but it was _you_ who brought her into this. She was coming to Titan with you, wasn't she? But you sent her back, told her to warn the others against me. Of course, she knew that wasn't going to be enough. You both did. So, she did something no one else was brave enough to do. She turned that Inhuman friend of hers into a weapon that could stop me. It would've worked, if they hadn't accidentally destroyed the planet first. Ana tried again and again, until she realized she had to give up to break the loop. That's when I came."

"What loop?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. Do you know what the Kree call her, the Inhuman?"

"I don't know, and I don't care."

"The Destroyer of Worlds," Thanos answered nevertheless. "Fools. "Daisy Johnson was nothing but a tool, and tools are… disposable. Nevertheless, she was what the Kree wanted, so I gave her to them. Let them flaunt themselves."

"Where's Ana?" As impossible as it might sound, there was a hint of hope and relief in his voice.

"You've proven me wrong. I didn't think you'd forgive her so easily."

"She's my daughter," he stated firmly.

"She killed your woman, too."

Tony made no reply, but the tormented look on his face spoke volumes. Even Thanos looked like he respected his agony. He gently squeezed Tony's shoulder. "You should be proud, Stark. For you fathered Death herself, the true Destroyer of Worlds."

And then, Sigyn was back in Kamar-Taj. She took out the Eye of Agamotto, and put it back on the pedestal hastily, as if it were burning her skin.

"So, we know what went wrong," the Ancient One said thoughtfully. "We can never let it happen again."

"No, we can't," Sigyn agreed. "I'll find a way to prevent that future_ without _harming Ana."

"Is protecting that girl still your priority?"

"Yes. I owe her grandparents that much. I've always considered you and your order an ally, Ancient One, but should anything happen to Ana Stark, I'll hold you responsible. Is that understood?"

"And if the Earth gets destroyed, the Masters of the Mystic Arts will hold _you_ responsible," she replied with a threatening smile, and Sigyn realized these people could find a way to survive even such a catastrophe. Still, she wouldn't hesitate to declare war on them to protect Ana.

"Then we have a deal. I have to ask, though, do you have anything to do with the vision Princess Shuri received?"

"No," she answered, but she didn't seem surprised to hear about Shuri either. "Ana Stark has awakened ancient forces, forces greater than we can imagine, when she went back in time. I believe it is one of those forces that is at work in Wakanda."

Sigyn believed her, so she returned to the New York Sanctum and then to Tonsberg. Once again, she had so much to process.

* * *

**A/N: Since there're many flashbacks in this chapter, I think this is a good time to ask you guys about my new idea. The original trilogy will end with this story, but would you be interested in some extra stuff? Like, an AU that explains what happened in the other timeline? I'm planning on to focus on Ana Stark in that story, for she seems to be my most popular OC. Also, I'm thinking of writing two shorter ficlets, one focusing on Edwin Jarvis' last days, and the other Ana's childhood in Malibu, because my imagination has got out of control recently. Let me know what you think!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry there has been no update recently. I'd been avoiding the internet because of possible **_**Endgame **_**spoilers. Now I've seen **_**Endgame**_**, but don't worry, I won't make any changes in this story. It will be completely non-Endgame compliant as planned, so, no spoilers!**

* * *

Sigyn now could see why Fury had seen potential in Ana. In this new vision, while she was with Tony, she wasn't very different from that little girl who had wiped her father's tears away by Mr. Jarvis' grave. But while talking to the Avengers, to Coulson and his team, she was an entirely different person. Daisy Johnson was supposed to be her best friend once, but even if it was true for Daisy, Ana clearly saw her more of a soldier, or a tool, like Thanos had said. She was manipulating her, very skillfully, in that vision. That had to be the "Ice Princess" Tony had been talking about. It kind of reminded Sigyn of how Howard would manipulate the people around him when he needed something from them, something he believed to be for the greater good. Ana was trying to create a weapon that would destroy Thanos, not Midgard. And Daisy might be an Inhuman, and she might have wronged Ana somehow, but she seemed like a decent person. Still, Sigyn needed to prevent that mistake from being made. She wished she hadn't kicked Ana and Shuri out of her house. It was going to be difficult to earn their trust back…

Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone signaled a new text message from an unfamiliar number. But whoever they were, they knew who Sigyn was, because the message said Peggy had been taken to hospital. Sigyn immediately left for Washington DC.

…

She spotted Peggy's children in the ER waiting room, though didn't dare go anywhere near them. It seemed like Peggy was alright for the time being, anyway. She looked around to see who might have texted her, but no one was paying her any attention, so she went out to the hospital yard and sat down on a bench.

She knew Peggy didn't have much time left. It could be any day now. But she still wasn't ready to lose her. She would never be. Peggy was her only connection to her golden days in Midgard. Howard, Maria, Ana, Mr. Jarvis… They were all gone. She didn't think she would be so scared of Thanos if they were still around. Not that any of them were powerful enough to stop Thanos, but there would be something reassuring about their mere presence. Like, they could do anything as long as they stuck together. _We were like the Avengers_, she thought, but then changed her mind. The Avengers had started out as Fury's idea, and he had played his usual mind games to bring them together. No one had forced Sigyn and her friends to become a team. They weren't anyone's project. It was just fate that they had found each other.

"Aunt Peggy scared us today. But she's fine now."

Sigyn looked up, only to see Sharon Carter leaning against the bench.

"May I?" she asked.

"Sure."

Sharon sat down next to her.

"You were the one who texted me," Sigyn realized, wondering who had told Sharon about her. If it was Fury, she was definitely going to kill him this time. But deep down, she knew it wasn't Fury. If there was anyone who didn't want Sigyn's identity to be compromised more than Sigyn herself, it was him.

Sharon nodded. "Aunt Peggy rambles a lot sometimes. When I went to see her shortly after the Battle of New York, she started talking about someone named Sigyn. The name didn't ring any bell, so I Googled it, and found out she was the wife of a certain Norse god who unleashed an army of aliens upon New York."

Yes, Sharon definitely lived up to the Carter name. "For the record, I don't support what my husband did in New York."

Sharon chuckled. "For the record, I don't blame you for it. It took me only a few questions to get Aunt Peggy to tell me all about you. About what you did for SHIELD. And for her. Thank you."

Sigyn chuckled softly. Now that the cat was out of the bag, she might as well make the best of the situation. "It's nothing, compared to what they did for me."

"So, the Tesseract has been taken to Asgard. You must be kind of… unemployed."

"I'm still a Consultant to SHIELD. Other than that, I guess I'll just stay with Peggy for a while." She had been so scared today that she didn't think she could leave Peggy again, no matter how painful her company might be.

"I'd be grateful for that. I wish I could spend more time with her, but I'm on an undercover mission these days."

"I know. How is Captain Rogers?"

Sharon raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"It's alright, my Clearance Level is higher than yours."

"He's an excellent neighbor."

"Does Peggy know?"

"No. Captain Rogers visits her occasionally, so…"

"You don't want to take any risks. That's wise."

They exchanged a meaningful look of trust and appreciation that could only be exchanged between two people who shared an important secret. Sigyn had always tried to keep her distance from the families of her old friends, but somehow, she was still involved in their lives. She just hoped Sharon was at least not involved in the Thanos business. The secret of her undercover mission as Steve Rogers' neighbor was a much simpler one.

"Are you planning to introduce yourself to Captain Rogers?" she asked, snapping Sigyn out of these thoughts.

"Oh, no. I've heard so much about him that it would probably be very awkward to meet him in person at this point." It was a lie, of course. The truth was, if Captain Rogers met Sigyn, he would have a lot of questions regarding his old friends, and she didn't think she wanted to answer all of them.

"Trust me, I know how that feels."

"I'm sure you do. But I'm glad Fury chose you for the job. Captain America is in good hands."

Sharon rose to her feet. "Well, I better get back inside and see how Aunt Peggy is doing."

Sigyn stood up as well. "Alright. It was nice to meet you, Sharon."

"So, what should I call you? Sharon, or Sigyn? Auntie Sigyn?"

They both laughed at the last one. "Sigyn is fine, as long as we're in private."

They shook hands, and then Sharon returned to the ER, leaving Sigyn alone in the hospital yard.

…

The Convergence might be the first thing that made Sigyn regret her exile. The alignment of the Nine Realms was an event that occurred in every five thousand years, and Sigyn wasn't sure if she could see another one. In Midgard, the Convergence manifested itself only as random gravitational anomalies, but if she were in Asgard, she could witness it in its full glory at Heimdall's Observatory.

Still, the Convergence was as perilous as it was magnificent. She saw Thor battle the Dark Elves in London, who were supposed to be extinct, but then, when had Odin ever been honest with his people, or even his family? Shortly after this battle, Thor paid her a visit in the nursing home one day.

Sigyn and Peggy were reminiscing about the early days of SHIELD when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Peggy said, and Sigyn's jaw dropped open when she saw her brother-in-law standing in the doorway, dressed like a mortal man, with a sheepish look on his face. If Mjolnir weren't in his hand, she would find it hard to believe that this was really him.

"Thor?"

"Hello, Sigyn."

She went to hug him. "It's good to see you here. How did you find me?"

"Heimdall told me where you were. I thought I could pay you a visit."

"I'm glad you did. I… I wasn't sure if you'd wanted to see me."

"You can't get rid of us so easily, Lady Sigyn."

So, Thor didn't judge her as harshly as his father did. It was good to know what she still had his support. She smiled to show her gratitude.

He turned to Peggy this time. He was being polite, but Sigyn could see something in his eyes, something she had never seen before. Fear. Funny, Thor had battled some of the most dangerous, vicious, ruthless creatures in the universe, and yet, none of them had scared him like this frail, old mortal woman did now. But Sigyn understood. Thor had recently made several mortal friends himself. When he looked at Peggy and Sigyn, he saw his own future.

"You must be Agent Peggy Carter," he said bowing to her. "I'm Thor, son of Odin."

"Loki's brother, I know," Peggy recalled.

"You and your friends are legends in the Asgardian court by now."

Peggy laughed, then a look of worry crossed her face. "Is everything alright in Asgard?"

"Yes, yes. We used the Tesseract to rebuild the Bifrost, the Dark Elves have been defeated, and the Nine Realms are at peace once again."

Peggy gave them a puzzled look. "Sigyn, I thought you still had the Tesseract?"

Thor turned to Sigyn this time. "Doesn't she know?" he whispered.

"Is this your first time in DC?" she asked cheerfully.

Thor seemed confused, too, but he nodded nevertheless.

"Come on, then. Let me show you around. Peggy, I'll be back in a few hours."

She grabbed her purse and jacket, then gestured Thor to follow her outside.

"Peggy knew," she started to explain as they walked down the hallway to the elevator. "About the Tesseract, the Battle of New York, that fight with the Dark Elves in London… But she forgot."

"_Forgot_? All of it?"

"It's called Alzheimer's disease."

"But she knew who I was."

"Only because I told her about you people in her youth. She remembers your name from those days, not from New York. It's the recent events she struggles to remember. She'll probably forget meeting you by the time I return here."

If Thor had been scared before, now he was terrified. "Oh… Does that happen to all mortals?"

"No, but it's not too uncommon either."

"How do you do this, Sigyn?"

She only shrugged in response. To be truthful, she didn't have an answer. She just did what she had to do.

She took him to her car, and as soon as they were inside, she gave him a baseball cap. She didn't want the paparazzi to spot Thor and start rumors about how he had been seen with a mysterious woman in DC.

He studied himself in the mirror as she ignited the engine. "Jane took me shopping before I came here. By the way, Jane is—"

"Thor, the whole world knows Jane Foster is your girlfriend. You're a celebrity."

He made no comment as he stared at her curiously. "What?" Sigyn asked at last.

"You seem different, Sigyn. You talk like mortals, act like mortals… I mean, in a good way."

"You seem different, too. You're… humbler. In a good way."

"Thank you. It's hard to believe, but just a few days here taught me more than centuries in Asgard."

"What can I say? It's a great place for self-discovery."

He laughed, then became serious again. "Sigyn, I did something."

"Did what?"

"I renounced my claim to the throne. To be able to live here."

There was a time Sigyn would think Thor had gone mad for saying that. But right now, she just understood. In fact, she wasn't even surprised. "And now, you want to know if you will regret it."

"Yes. But I'm not talking about the throne."

"I know. And yes, it will hurt. You will suffer. But when you look back, you will have no regrets. Trust me on this one. I buried a mother and four friends. I thought I lost a husband. And I actually lost him, in a different way. I'm kind of an expert on loss."

"You are," he agreed solemnly. They didn't speak again until Sigyn pulled in front of a diner. They went inside and sat at a table. A waiter took their orders, and soon returned with their beers and hamburgers.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to smash my cup," he said as he opened his beer.

"You did that, didn't you? When you first came here?"

"Unfortunately."

"Yeah, try doing it in 1950s Brooklyn… As a woman."

"You did it, too?"

"After drinking my first glass of wine. You should've seen Howard's face…"

"I heard he made you stronger, just before… his death."

"He did. You know, in the past, I thought being stronger would fix all my problems. I couldn't have been more wrong."

She expected him to laugh again, but he didn't. "I made a similar mistake, too. I thought, being a great warrior, I could protect the people I loved. When the Dark Elves invaded Asgard, they killed my mother."

Her chest tightened. Queen Frigga was dead. She had had no idea… And she had certainly not expected to find out like this. So, that was why Thor had come here. To tell her in person.

And only a few minutes ago, she had thought she was an expert on loss…

"I'm sorry," he went on when Sigyn didn't say anything. "I know how much you loved her. There wasn't an easy way to say this, so I just said it."

"How is Loki?" She had been so busy with Peggy that she hadn't been able to visit him in his cell.

"Loki is dead, too. He died while avenging Mother."

"Tell me. Tell me everything."

And so Thor did. How Jane Foster had found the Aether, how Thor had taken her to Asgard, and how the Dark Elves had come for it and killed Queen Frigga. After the funeral, Thor had decided to take the Aether to Malekith and asked for Loki's help. Loki had died on Svartalfheim, then Thor and Jane had followed the Dark Elves to Midgard.

Well, Loki had been "dead" before, so Sigyn didn't truly believe that he was gone. And there was the fact that she still hadn't been able to change the future. Loki wasn't meant to die at the hand of the Kurse. Maybe he had faked his death so he wouldn't have to return to the dungeons. Or, to escape Thanos… She didn't share her thoughts with Thor, though. Loki was right about him. If he found out about Thanos, Thor would decide to take the fight to him, only to get himself killed.

But Queen Frigga… Her death was real. Very, very real.

"Father says the Aether is an Infinity Stone," Thor said, and once again, a shiver ran through Sigyn's spine. Another Infinity Stone had appeared…

"Sigyn? What is it?"

"Nothing… Where is the Aether now?"

"Sif and Volstagg took it to the Collector. My father doesn't want to keep two Infinity Stones in his vault."

"That's wise."

"I agree."

"You're very brave, Sigyn," he suddenly said.

"Why?"

"In Asgard, we always looked down on mortals. I see now that it wasn't only arrogance, but also cowardice. Most of us are _afraid_ to care about mortals. But you are not. You're brave, just like your father."

"Thanks, Thor."

"I met Howard's son, you know."

"What was he like?" she asked curiously, as if she didn't know anything about Tony.

"We, uhm, had a rough start."

"Oh, don't worry too much about it. When we first met, I threw Howard into a pool. Then Peggy shot me in the leg."

Thor smiled. "He is a good man, though. He was almost going to die saving an entire city."

"So I've heard. What do you think will happen to the Avengers now?"

"I'm not sure." He leaned closer, and whispered, "Heimdall says HYDRA is preparing to make their move. When that happens, the world will need us again. To be honest, I want them to reveal themselves. It's hard to work with SHIELD, knowing what SHIELD really is. I'm not a spy, I'm a warrior."

"I know. But you know what happened to Howard and Maria. You can't tell anyone."

"Of course. We took an oath of silence, don't worry. Why don't you join us? I know Fury wanted you on the team. I'm sure Stark and Captain Rogers would be happy to meet you, too."

"Thor, I can't. If I meet Captain Rogers, I'm going to have to tell him it was his blood that came in between his friends. And Tony… I don't think I can look him in the eye."

"You gave him his daughter. I'm sure they'll be grateful to you for that alone."

"And I got Howard and Maria killed."

"They died defending Midgard. It was an honorable death."

"Thor, mortals don't see it that way."

"You have a score to settle with HYDRA," he reminded this time.

"I do. And when the time comes, I'll settle it. By myself."

He let out a troubled sigh. "Heimdall doesn't tell me what HYDRA has been planning."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Yes, but until then, I wish to be with Jane."

"I hope you two will be very happy," she said, but she was now worried about Sif. It couldn't be easy for her, to be chosen over a mortal. Her heart must have been broken. But then, Sigyn wasn't really hopeful for Jane Foster and Thor. Even if they found a way to make their relationship work, it would only last several decades.

After they finished eating, they went out to the parking lot, which was empty. He gave Sigyn the baseball cap back. He was going back to London, to Jane Foster.

"It was good to see you, Sigyn. You made my brother very happy. For that, you'll have my eternal gratitude."

"I'm not so sure if I deserve it."

"He never doubted your love for him. And you shouldn't doubt his."

An uneasy knot formed in her stomach. "Thanks."

"Farewell, Lady Sigyn," he said, and prepared to take off.

"Thor?"

He paused. "Yes?"

"You're not planning to cut your hair any time soon, are you?" she asked, remembering her first vision. It was a silly question, but she had to ask.

Thor ran a hand through his long, golden locks in almost a protective manner. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm not planning to cut my hair."

"Good. Long hair suits you best."

He laughed, started hurling Mjolnir again, and bolted into the sky as Sigyn watched him leave in thoughtful silence.


	20. Chapter 20

"The third day of 2014," Sigyn said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible, while opening the curtains of Peggy's room. She looked at the snow clouds gathering in the Washington sky. "It might snow tonight."

Peggy chuckled lightly. "I hope it does. The city looks so beautiful when it snows."

"I agree."

"Sigyn? Where are my yarns?"

"Here." She opened a drawer and took out three balls of yarn—red, blue, and white—and a pair of knitting needles. Peggy had started knitting a scarf for Captain Rogers the other day, saying knitting helped her feel somewhat useful. Sigyn was surprised that she still wanted to work on it. "Who is this for?" she asked, to see how much she remembered.

Peggy seemed confused at first, but the colors must have given her a hint. "Steve, I think?"

"Yes, Peggy. I'm sure Captain Rogers will love it."

"I should make one for you, too. Can you go buy blue and silver yarns, dear?"

"Now?"

"If it's not too much trouble…"

"It's no trouble at all. But we usually order them online, you know."

"No, no, I need them now," she said quickly, as if she was scared that she would forget about her new project.

"Alright." She put on her coat, took her purse and the car keys, and went out to the corridor. Elderly mortals were often not much different from little children. They could become persistent about trivial things, and it was hard to say no to them.

As she made for the elevator, she was using the navigation app on her phone—she sometimes couldn't believe how useful these Midgardian devices had become over the years—to find the nearest yarn store, so she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. That was how she bumped into someone.

When she looked up, she realized that someone was, unmistakably, Steve Rogers. He usually called the nursing home before visiting, and Sigyn would hide while he was around, but today, he had shown up unannounced.

It was weird to see Captain Rogers like this, after everything she had heard about him. For decades, his story had been a beacon of hope for Sigyn. A sickly mortal who had become as strong as an Asgardian. She had hoped she could be like him one day. Eventually, she had. It wasn't the same formula, but a miraculous serum was running through their veins. And now, here he stood, not as a legend or even a beacon of hope, but a mere man.

"I—I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"You know Peggy?"

Damn. He must have seen her emerging from Peggy's room.

"I'm just an old family friend. I sometimes come here to keep Peggy company. Though most of the time she doesn't even remember me," she lied.

He eyed her suspiciously. "You don't seem that old."

"Neither do you, Captain Rogers… My name is Helga Tiersen, by the way." Now that he worked for SHIELD, she decided to use a different alias. If he dug deep enough, he could find "Sharon Tyler."

And if he found out who Sigyn was, she was going to have to tell him about a lot of things, things she didn't want to tell. How his blood had come between Peggy and Howard, what Howard's obsession with him had done to his family, and more importantly, HYDRA… Sigyn still didn't know what had happened to the other five doses of Howard's serum. If HYDRA had used them, where were the other super soldiers? Heimdall had simply said she didn't have to worry about them, but Sigyn didn't know if he meant the doses, or the soldiers by "them."

They shook hands. He didn't seem convinced, but he didn't press her either. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Tiersen. How is Peggy today?"

"She is doing great. She is actually knitting you a scarf."

That put a genuine smile on his face.

"I need to run some errands, but someone will bring her breakfast soon. Can you make sure she takes her medicine after she eats? I left the pills on her nightstand."

"Of course, ma'am."

"Thank you, Captain Rogers," she thanked him, and walked away, hoping Peggy wouldn't tell him anything he wasn't supposed to know.

…

Captain Rogers was gone by the time she returned.

"I wish he didn't have to see me like this," Peggy huffed, examining the yarns Sigyn had bought her. She seemed satisfied.

"I'm sure he's happy you're still here. Everyone else he knows is gone."

"Why didn't you tell him who you really were?"

"Trust me, Peggy, this is for the best. I wish you hadn't told Sharon the truth about me either."

She frowned. "Did I tell her? When?"

"Sometime after the Battle of New York." When Captain went on a mission, and Sharon had nothing to do until he returned, they would go grab a coffee sometimes. She loved hearing about the adventures of the first Consultant of SHIELD. And she would tell Sigyn everything she had missed while hiding in Tonsberg. Sharon saw her more of another grandmother figure than a peer.

They were interrupted when Sigyn's phone pinged and she received an emergency notification. "Sif!" she gasped. "Peggy, my sister is here!"

When she read the details, she realized Sif was here to find Lorelei, who had escaped the dungeons of Asgard during the invasion of the Dark Elves. Only then, she realized she hadn't thought of her nemesis in a long while. Even when Thor had told her about the Kurse freeing the prisoners, Sigyn's grief for Frigga was so overwhelming that it hadn't occurred to her to ask about Lorelei's fate.

But now, she had remembered, and all that rage was flooding back into her heart. Lorelei was here, in Midgard...

"Peggy, I must go," she said frantically.

"Why?"

"Lorelei, Peggy… Do you remember what I told you about Lorelei?"

"She killed your sister's lover," she recalled.

"She made Sif choose between me and Haldor," Sigyn elaborated. "Finally, I can get my revenge." It looked like the super soldier serum could fix at least one of her problems, after all.

"Where are you going?"

"She was last seen in Nevada. It won't be difficult for me to track her down."

"Sigyn?"

"Yes, Peggy?"

Peggy's eyes, clouded with worry, were fixated on hers. "Promise me that you'll be careful."

"I promise. And once I get back, I'll tell you all about it." Though Peggy would probably forget why Sigyn had left by then.

She went down to the reception desk and informed the receptionist that she would be absent for a few days. Then she drove to the empty field outside the city, where she hid her ship. As it took her to California, she donned her armor and conjured her sword. She tested its balance. She hadn't used her sword in a long time.

A part of her was glad that Lorelei had escaped. It gave Sigyn the perfect excuse to kill her. She just had to find her before Sif and SHIELD did. If only she and Sif could kill her together, as sisters, but she still didn't want SHIELD to find out about her. Not until HYDRA revealed itself.

As she flew to California, she kept getting more updates on the Lorelei situation. Lorelei had been able to ensnare a SHIELD Specialist, Grant Ward. Sigyn read his file to see if he was a dormant HYDRA agent, but she couldn't be sure. He had been recruited and trained by John Garrett, who was definitely HYDRA, but there was no way to know for certain if his trainees were involved as well. His latest trainee, Antoine Triplett, for example, was the grandson of a Howling Commando. Sigyn didn't think HYDRA would want to recruit him. Still, her primary focus now was Lorelei, not HYDRA.

SHIELD Specialists had a pattern. So did Lorelei. Knowing Lorelei, she would choose extravagance over secrecy. Therefore she and Agent Ward would choose the most luxurious hotel nearby as their base of operation. Caesars Palace, most likely. Tony used to go there often, to have fun, while living in Malibu. Indeed, Sigyn was almost there by the time SHIELD reports confirmed that they had checked into Caesars Palace.

Sigyn cloaked herself invisible before she entered, and directly headed for their room. The door was locked. She listened for a while. She could hear the water running. Someone was probably taking a shower. Hoping it was Agent Ward, she unlocked the door with magic. She had never been so nervous and so eager to prove her worth, not even before her very first battle. Not even during the conflict with the Starforce. Yes, that fight had brought her the glory she had been dreaming of, but in the end, it was only duty. This, on the other hand, was purely personal. Defeat wasn't an option. She didn't think she could live with the shame if she lost today.

Edwin Jarvis' words echoed in her head once again.

"_If anyone deserves this power, it's you."_

Lorelei was there, looking out the window, with her back to the door. She was dressed like a mortal; a pair of leather pants and a leather vest. But it was definitely her.

"Ward?" she asked when she heard the door being opened.

Sigyn was planning to get this over with before Agent Ward got involved. She revealed herself. "Hello, Lorelei."

She grinned. "Sigyn… I was starting to think you'd got yourself killed by now. You weren't there with Sif when she confronted me in the desert."

"Sif doesn't know I'm here."

"Oh, making a bit of mischief, are we? It's good to see you, Sigyn, really. Thanks for bringing me my sword."

Sigyn unsheathed said weapon. She knew how much Lorelei desired one of these swords. "Come and get it, then."

Lorelei rolled her eyes, and lunged forward. When she tried to take the sword from Sigyn, she stopped her with her left hand.

For a split second, they both froze, and Sigyn tried to savor the moment as best as she could. The look on Lorelei's face was priceless. It was everything Sigyn had dreamt of since Haldor's death. "What in Hel happened to you?" she whispered in fear.

Sigyn smirked. "I told you I'd be a great warrior." She pushed Lorelei away, sent her staggering backwards, and charged at her. Lorelei had grabbed a chair and used it as a shield to protect herself. Sigyn sliced it in half. Now that it was useless, Lorelei tossed the pieces aside. Sigyn was preparing to deliver another blow when Agent Ward emerged from the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips.

"Kill her!" the seductress ordered.

When Sigyn realized he was reaching for the gun on the dresser, she grabbed her real enemy and jumped out through the window. She wasn't sure if she would survive the fall, but she was hoping to use Lorelei to soften the impact. Unfortunately, Lorelei was trying to do the same with her. They kept fighting as they fell, and in the end, Lorelei was the first to hit the ground. A sickening crack was heard, and it was probably some of Lorelei's bones breaking. Sigyn had fallen on top of her. The civilians around were screaming in panic, but she didn't care. She still had her sword. She pressed it against Lorelei's neck, just like Lorelei had done to her once.

"Tell me, Lorelei, how does it feel? To know that you're going to be killed by a half-breed?"

"Better than an eternity in the dungeons of Asgard."

"Sigyn, stop!"

Sigyn looked up when she heard her sister's voice. Sif was there, running towards her, with Agent Coulson and a bunch of other SHIELD agents at her heels.

"Kill me," Lorelei pleaded.

"Sigyn, stop," Sif repeated. "Odin wants her alive."

Sigyn looked around, not knowing what to do. To be honest, she was feeling a bit dizzy right now. Her sister, SHIELD, Lorelei, the civilians… It was as if they were all moving in slow motion.

"She is my sister!" Sif, who was now standing above them, told the agents, and gave Sigyn a golden collar, identical to the one Frigga had once made for Lorelei. "Put this on her."

Sigyn was too dazed to argue, so she obeyed, and let the agents take Lorelei. She could still walk, so her injuries couldn't be too severe. Shame.

"Sif?"

"Hello, little sister."

"I did it. I bested Lorelei."

Sif nodded, with a sad smile playing about her lips. "You did. I'm so proud of you."

"I missed you." She hugged Sif as tightly as she could. Yes, she occasionally used astral projection to communicate with her loved ones in Asgard, but it was never enough.

"I missed you, too. But, Sigyn, your injuries…"

"What?" she said, and only then, realized she had been bleeding. There was a bullet in her midriff. That explained why she felt so disoriented. "This is weird, I don't remember being shot…"

"Is there a healing room here? You know this realm better than I do."

"SHIELD—" she started, but her vision suddenly became blurry, and then everything went dark.

…

When Sigyn woke up, she was lying in a bed, in some kind of medical chamber. When she looked around, she realized she wasn't alone. The chamber was very small, but there was a second bed, with Daisy Johnson sitting on it, typing away on a laptop. Her hair was longer, and she seemed much more carefree than she was in that vision, but it was definitely the same young woman.

"You…"

Daisy smiled at her. "Hi. This is the only Medical Pod on the Bus, so I guess we'll be roommates for a while… Oh, I'm Skye, by the way."

"Skye? Is that your name?"

"Last time I checked, yeah."

Sigyn sat up slowly, trying to force herself to remain composed. This couldn't be a coincidence…

"Hey, take it easy. You're going to pop your stitches."

"It's alright, I'll cast a healing spell," she said, and started doing it.

Skye—or Daisy, whatever—laughed. "Are you a witch or something?"

"Kind of… What happened?"

"You were unconscious when they brought you here. Simmons removed the bullet and patched you up. Coulson is probably debriefing your sister right now. She'll be back soon."

Sigyn nodded.

"You're different from Sif," she observed.

"Different how?"

"You seem more… adapted. I've been trying to find something, anything on you, but there's nothing… I don't think you came here for Lorelei. How long have you been on Earth?"

_Clever girl_, she thought. "That's classified."

She laughed as if she had made the most exciting discovery. "You _are_ a SHIELD agent!"

"Technically, I'm a Consultant."

"So am I… Technically."

Before Skye could ask her anything else, the door whooshed open and Sif entered. "You're awake!"

"I'm fine, sister. Come." She led Sif out of the Medical Pod so that they could talk in private. Sigyn had heard about the Bus, the extravagant plane Fury had given Coulson, along with a team. Everyone assumed it was a gift for confronting Loki bravely, but Sigyn believed it was a way for Fury to keep an eye on Coulson and observe the side effects of the Kree medicine. The plane was on the ground now, though, and from the open back hatch, Sigyn could see that they were in a SHIELD airfield.

"I'm taking Lorelei back to Asgard," Sif started.

"Good."

"Before I came here, Odin told me you were allowed to come home. Your banishment has been lifted, Sigyn!"

Sigyn wondered why he might have said such a thing. Also, she wondered why he wanted Lorelei alive. Odin had always wanted her to be eliminated. It was Loki who had thought she deserved a fate worse than death. But she decided not to share this with Sif. Not until she was certain…

"Father misses you," Sif went on. "I know one of your mortal friends is still alive, but…"

"Thor paid me a visit recently. He told me what happened to Loki… and Queen Frigga."

Sif bowed her head, and sighed heavily. "Then you know why I need you. She was a mother to both of us. I… I would like to mourn her with you, sister."

"As would I… And now that my identity has been compromised, it's not wise for me to stay here."

Sif leaned closer, and whispered, "Are these agents…"

"I know Coulson is… _innocent_. But I can't vouch for anyone else."

"I see."

"There are some things I need to take care of first, but I'll see you in a few days."

Sif beamed at her. "So, are you coming home?"

"I am."

Tears pooled in Sif's eyes, an indication of how much Sigyn had hurt her sister. She silently watched Sif in shame as she quickly wiped away her tears and went to fetch Lorelei, who had been shackled and muzzled. Coulson and his team came with her. Sif bid them farewell, then took Lorelei and called to Heimdall. A second later, the Bifrost sucked them in.

"Lady Sigyn?" Coulson said. "We need to debrief you as well."

"That won't be necessary, Agent Coulson," she said, and conjured her SHIELD badge as everyone watched her in confusion. She then crossed to the nearest computer, and hold her badge out to be scanned.

Coulson leaned towards the screen and blinked a few times, as if he was struggling to believe what he saw. "I—I don't understand. It says here that you're a Consultant, but SHIELD Consultants don't have badges, let alone Clearance Levels. You're an Alpha member with Clearance Level 10… That's Director Level."

Funny, it was almost the same reaction Fury had given years ago, when he had first met Sigyn.

"True, but I'm not just any Consultant. I'm the first Consultant."

Agent Simmons gasped. "You worked with the founding members of SHIELD!"

"Yes. And because I have the highest Clearance Level here, I believe I'm allowed to give orders."

"What do you want?" Agent Ward asked impatiently. It hadn' t escaped Sigyn's notice that he and Agent May had exchanged displeased looks when they found out about Sigyn's Clearance Level.

"The girl in the Medical Pod, Skye… What's her real name?"

"She doesn't have a _real name_," Coulson said, almost defensively. "She grew up as an orphan. In fact, she was an 0-8-4."

"I'd like to have a word with her… in private," she said, and made for the Medical Pod again. No one came after her, but Sigyn assumed there were other ways to eavesdrop at a conversation on this plane. Nevertheless, she had to do this.

"Hey," she said when she saw Sigyn. "You're back."

"Skye, there's something I need to tell you. Do you know Ana Stark?"

She frowned in confusion. "Yeah, we met at the Academy once."

"Stay away from her."

Daisy, or Skye, looked at her, taken aback. "Why? She was cool."

"She will turn you into the Destroyer of Worlds."

"What?"

"Just stay away from her," Sigyn repeated firmly, and stormed out of the Bus before anyone could ask her anything.

…

"You're not planning to come back, are you?" Peggy asked. She must have realized how much Sigyn was struggling to say goodbye. Sigyn had told her everything that had happened with Lorelei, Sif, and Coulson's team.

"No, I'm not. And…"

"And you fear that I won't remember why you left."

"Yes," she admitted. And there was also the fact that she would probably never see Peggy again.

Peggy patted on her hand feebly. "It's alright, dear. Even if I don't remember why you left, I will know it must be for a good reason."

"Thanks, Peggy."

"I remember how you were when you first came to us."

"I was a savage."

"You were just confused. And look at you now."

"I'm a failure. There are… things, Peggy. Things I can never tell you."

"Why not? Because I might get into trouble?" she scoffed, but Sigyn could hear the insinuation behind the words.

"No. It's not that. I just…"

"Please, dear. We both know Howard and Maria didn't die in a car accident. I never believed it for a second. Tell me, what really happened?"

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"It does to me."

"Alright… Howard did it, Peggy. He replicated the super soldier serum."

Peggy's eyes widened in excitement. "So, did he…"

"Used it on me? Yes."

"Did it work?"

"How do you think I kicked Lorelei's ass?"

Peggy gave her shoulder a squeeze and shook her lightly, the way she used to do after they completed a mission successfully back in the day.

"There were others who wanted the formula, though. I don't know what they did with it. Heimdall doesn't tell me."

Peggy simply nodded, as if this was the exact answer she had been expecting to hear.

"Well, now I'm going back to being nobody."

"I don't think you can ever go back to being nobody. None of us can go back, even if we wanted to."

"The future frightens me," she admitted, and even though she couldn't share the actual origins of her fears with Peggy, she wanted to share as much as she could before leaving.

"Michael would always tell me to stop pretending to be someone I'm not. Now I'm telling you the same. Stop pretending to be someone you're not."

"I'm not pretending anymore."

Peggy studied her face very attentively for a moment. Then she said, "I think you do. I think there's one last thing that has to change."

"What are you talking about?"

"Loki. You don't love him. I don't think you ever have."

Goosebumps raised on her arms. _Just a coincidence_, she told herself. _Peggy's usual ramblings_. "Goodbye, Peggy Carter," she said, kissing her cheek. "Thanks for being my friend."

She straightened up, turned around on her heels, and scurried out of the room, so that Peggy wouldn't have to hear her sobs. She went to the roof, and took one last look at the city of Washington DC. This wasn't her realm anymore. There was a new life ahead of her. And a new war.

"Heimdall, open the Bifrost!"

A second later, she was speeding through the rainbow bridge that took her back to Asgard. Heimdall was standing there, at the Observatory. Everything was exactly as she remembered.

"Welcome back, Lady Sigyn," he said, pulling out his sword to close the Bifrost. The gatekeeper didn't seem angry, but Sigyn's constant disobedience in the past decades had put some distance between them, that much was obvious from his tone.

"Hello, Heimdall. It's been a long time."

"Your sister is waiting for you at your home."

"Thank you."

Sigyn set off to the city, where their house was. For their father was the most trusted general in Asgard, it wasn't very far from the royal palace. People were the same, too. Most of them just ignored her, or pretended to ignore her, but some gave her curious looks. Occasional whispers were exchanged here and there.

She found Sif in the garden, sharpening her sword thoughtfully. But she must have heard the footsteps, because she smiled, put the sword aside, and looked up. They ran to each other's arms.

"Welcome home, little sister."

It didn't exactly feel like home, but fearing to offend her family, Sigyn decided to keep that thought to herself. The sisters only parted when they heard their father's voice.

"Sigyn…"

Their father hadn't changed a bit either. Sigyn went to hug him this time. "Father."

"You look great." He had said this like he had been expecting to find his daughter in a miserable spirit.

"Thank you."

He released her, took a step back, and studied her from head to toe. "So, you're stronger now… Perhaps we should test that strength sometime."

"Of course. I can't wait to show you what I'm capable of."

"I told the cook to prepare a feast in your honor tonight."

"Oh, Father—"

"Don't fret. It will be only for you, me, Sif, and the Warriors Three. But first, the Allfather wishes to have a word with you."

Well, Sigyn wished to have a word with the "Allfather," too. "Then I better not keep him waiting."

When she went to the palace, the guards told her that the Allfather was attending a party at the roof garden, so she headed there. Garden parties were usual in Asgard, but there was nothing usual about that huge golden statue of Loki that welcomed the guests at the entrance of the roof garden. She found "Odin" sharing a drink with a couple of maidens.

"Allfather," she said sharply. "You wish to see me?"

An expression of panic crossed his face when he saw her, and stepped away from the maidens. "Oh, Sigyn… Welcome back to Asgard, my dear. It's so good to see you."

She looked around, and wondered why no one had figured out who "Odin" was by now. Still, she decided not to say anything suspicious. "I'm really sorry to interrupt your party, my king, but perhaps you'd like to have a word with me in private?"

"Of course, of course… Come, let's go to the throne room."

Once they went down to the throne room, he dismissed the guards. With a wave of her hand, Sigyn broke his illusion.

Loki grinned. "You knew…"

Sigyn slapped him. Hard.

Loki blinked in confusion, trying to look innocent, but of course, she wouldn't fall for it. "What was that for?"

"That was for cheating on me." She then slapped his other cheek. "_This _was for faking your death."

"I didn't cheat on you," he said, rubbing his cheeks. "Damn, you _are _stronger…"

"Do you really expect me to believe drinks are the only thing you share with those women?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to pretend to believe you for the time being… Where's Odin?"

"In Midgard."

"And what exactly is he doing in Midgard?"

"I imagine he is busy not remembering who he is."

"You erased his memory?"

"I had to. His burden was too heavy, it was going to kill him! And we both know why he must stay alive." He had suddenly become much more serious, and Sigyn knew he wasn't faking it.

"Alright. Where is he?"

"In New York. In one of those places for elderly mortals, you know, the one like your friend Peggy is staying…"

"A nursing home?"

"Yes!"

"Damn you, Loki… What if something happens to him? No one knows who he really is."

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"You could've put him in Odinsleep."

"He would've woken up before he fully regained his strength. He would've never let me rule Asgard."

"Can you blame him? You're not exactly doing a great job at pretending to be him. I mean, you're the God of Lies, but right now, you're not even trying."

"People think he's gone mad with grief."

"What about my father? Sif? The Warriors Three? Heimdall? They must have suspected it by now. Thor is going to kill you this time…"

"Like I said, they all think Odin has gone mad."

"And is this how you get back at your father? By tainting his memory?"

"He is not my father."

"Alright. But he was still Frigga's husband."

Loki turned away from her.

"Look at me!"

"They didn't even let me attend her funeral," he said in a small voice.

Sigyn didn't know that. She knew he was a prisoner, but still… She had hoped they had made an exception for the funeral, at least.

He chuckled bitterly. "See? Even you didn't expect Odin to be so cruel."

"I missed her funeral, too. I was in exile. I didn't even know she was dead until Thor came to see me after the Convergence."

"Well, you're not in exile anymore. He is."

"Unlike you, I don't hold any grudge against him. It wouldn't do anyone any good."

"What about Lorelei? Would you like to pay her a visit, as the Queen of Asgard?"

_Queen of Asgard_. To be honest, Sigyn had never seen herself as the Queen of Asgard. That was Frigga's title. And she could easily picture Sif as the future queen, but that was a long-forgotten image now.

She sighed. "You told her, didn't you?"

"I wanted her to know."

"To know what, exactly?"

"That you're the queen she will never become."

"You have such a weird way to express your love for me."

"Call me vindictive," he said mischievously.

"I don't give a damn about Lorelei anymore. I got my closure. There's something else I want to see."

"What is it?"

"You."

He chuckled. "Well, I'm right here."

"No. _You_, in your true form."

His smile was replaced with an expression of fear. "Why?" he asked bitterly. "Are you so desperate to fall out of love with me?"

"No, Loki. I know I won't fall out of love with you. I want to see it because it's a part of who you are."

"I don't know how to… do it myself. It only happens when I hold the Casket."

Sigyn craned her neck and kissed his lips. It seemed to have made him less afraid. "Then we're going down to the Vault."

"Fine." He disguised himself as Odin again, and they set off to Odin's Vault together. The guards opened the door for them, but they didn't follow the couple inside.

The first artifact she saw was the Infinity Gauntlet. She froze in shock.

"It's a fake," Loki reassured her.

"And who has the real one? Thanos?"

"Even if he does, I never saw it during my time on the Sanctuary."

And then, she saw the Tesseract. "Can we destroy it?" If they did that, Thanos could never have all the six stones. Perhaps they could even convince the Ancient One to do the same with the Time Stone, and Fury with the Mind Stone.

"You're welcome to try." His voice gave her the impression that he had already tried.

Finally, she turned her gaze to what had brought them here in the first place. The Casket of Ancient Winters.

Loki took it from the pedestal, but his back was still turned to her, so she couldn't see anything. "Loki," she said softly. "Look at me."

He turned around. What she saw didn't disgust, or even shock Sigyn. Yes, his skin was blue, his eyes were red, and there were Jotunn markings on his face, but this was still Loki.

"Well?" he asked, as if he was waiting to hear a verdict.

"It's beautiful." She closed the gap between them in two steps, and extended her hand to touch his face.

"Don't—" Loki started, but he had been too late. The icy skin had burned her fingertips. He put the Casket down, and once his skin turned to its usual color, he took her hand into his. "Did you really have to hurt yourself to prove a point?"

"I didn't know it was going to hurt. But it wouldn't have mattered."

"Sigyn…"

"What is it?"

"Stay with me tonight. I missed you."

"I can't. My father is throwing a feast in my honor tonight. But once it's over, you can visit me in my bedchambers."

"I'll be there," he said, and sealed the promise with a kiss.

But in Sigyn's ears, Peggy Carter's words were ringing.

"_Stop pretending to be someone you are not."_


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: So, I know I don't have a large audience, but I'm curious, how is everyone doing after **_**Endgame**_**? I'm going to share my personal thoughts in the Author's Notes section at the end of this chapter, so proceed with caution. I guess spoilers are everywhere on the internet by now, but I'll try to keep it as vague as possible, just in case. Normally, I don't like writing long Author's Notes, but I wanted to share the excitement while it was still fresh.**

* * *

Unlike most Asgardians, Sif had never looked down on mortals. How could she, while her sister was a half-mortal? Still, it hurt her pride, to know that Thor had chosen a Midgardian woman over her. Not that he blamed Thor, or even that mortal, Jane Foster. Thor had waited for Sif for a very long time, with a patience he didn't have for anyone or anything else in the universe. Sif had always been afraid to love Thor. After what had happened to Haldor, it had become even worse. And then, Thor had been banished to Midgard, and Jane Foster had taught him something nobody in Asgard could: Humility. For that alone, she would always have Sif's respect.

That was why she had been trying so hard not to blame Jane Foster for Queen Frigga's death.

After her death, Asgard wasn't the same. More importantly, neither was the Allfather himself. Sif was starting to fear for him. If he went mad with grief, what was going to happen to the Nine Realms? And she wasn't the only one. Her father agreed that something was very wrong with Odin.

Sigyn had grown distant and gloomy lately. Sif wasn't sure if this was because she was back in Asgard, or something else. She had made no comments on Odin's odd demeanor yet, but it couldn't possibly have escaped her notice.

After tossing and turning in the bed for hours with these thoughts nagging at her mind, Sif decided to take a more direct approach and share her concerns with Sigyn. It was past midnight, and there was no light or sound coming from her chambers, so Sif assumed she was asleep. Still, Sif was going to lose her mind unless she talked to somebody. She had to wake Sigyn up. But when she opened the door, she found the room fully lit, her sister sharing a passionate kiss with Loki in the bed. They froze when they saw Sif. At least they were still dressed. Thankfully.

"Didn't you lock the door?" Loki scolded Sigyn. They both climbed out of the bed and stood on their feet.

"I cast a muffling charm but… Everyone had gone to bed by the time you came tonight. I forgot. Sif, please close the door. Let us not wake Father up. The charm doesn't work when the door is open."

Sif closed the door, and then turned to face them. "What's the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"Sister, am I not allowed to share a bed with my husband?"

"You are, except your husband was supposed to be dead!" It all made sense now. Loki had been posing as Odin all this time. "Where is Odin?"

Loki chuckled shamelessly. "He is safe."

"Do you honestly think I'm going to take your word for it, trickster?"

"What about your sister's word?"

Sif looked at Sigyn in utter disappointment. She knew Sigyn loved him, but this? This was treason. "If you weren't my sister, I'd take your head. I'd take _both_ your heads."

"Sif, please just hear us out."

She crossed her arms. "Alright. Start explaining. Now."

"Believe it or not, we're doing this to keep Odin alive. The Odinforce is the only—"

"Are you going to tell her the_ truth_?" Loki interrupted.

"Yes, Loki. I will!"

Loki shook his head in frustration, but didn't try to stop Sigyn from speaking.

"What truth?" Sif asked, this time more softly. Something was going on between the two, she could see that now. Something that was much more important than Loki's desire for a throne. He might be a trickster, but Sif was a seasoned warrior and she recognized danger when she saw it.

Sigyn told her everything. How Sigyn had received a vision that had warned her against Thanos, how the Princess Shuri of Wakanda and Howard Stark's granddaughter had received similar warnings, to whom the Chitauri army really belonged, and why it was so important for Odin to stay alive at all costs. It was a shock to discover what the sister she thought she knew so well had been going through all these years.

"I still don't understand why you have to exile him, though," Sif said once Sigyn was done explaining. "If he is weakened, he needs to go into the Odinsleep and regain his strength."

"Except he wouldn't stay in the Odinsleep while I rule Asgard," Loki muttered angrily. "And Thor doesn't want the throne. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Don't pretend like you're doing this for Asgard, Loki."

"No. I'm doing it for Sigyn."

Sif believed him. At least she believed his desire to do right by Sigyn. Loki could have revealed the truth about HYDRA to spread chaos across Midgard. He hadn't. He could have escaped while everyone thought he had died on Svartalfheim and hide from Thanos for the rest of his life. He hadn't. His first command as the king had been to send Sif and Volstagg on a mission to give the Aether to the Collector for safekeeping, instead of using the Reality Stone for his own selfish gain. Sif didn't like this, but she had to admit that he was on their side now. And they were going to need all the help they could get.

"Sister," Sigyn started. "I'm glad you now know the truth. I hated lying to you. But we can't tell father. We can't tell our friends. And more importantly, we can't tell Thor. If we want to prepare for Thanos, we must do it from the shadows."

Sif understood. Heimdall must have seen all these happen, and warned Odin and Frigga, but they both had kept the truth from everyone. Working silently in the shadows was the wisest way to win this war, then. And speaking of Heimdall…

"Does Heimdall know what you've done to Odin?"

"No. I conceal both Odin and myself from Heimdall's sight."

Sif rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! Don't tell me he doesn't suspect anything."

"Even if he does, he chooses to ignore it. If he becomes too much of a trouble, I'll exile him. Now, I'll leave you ladies alone. After all, you have so much to discuss." With these words, Loki walked himself out.

"I've forgotten that Loki actually had some manners, at least while you were around."

"He became worse after I left, didn't he?"

Sif made no reply. They had never openly discussed it before, but Sigyn was right. If Sigyn had never left home, Loki would not have ruined Thor's coronation by letting the Frost Giants into the realm. But perhaps, he would. There was no need to lament over what might, or might not have happened. Both Sigyn and Thor had needed an exile in Midgard, for completely opposite reasons. Midgard might have taught Thor humility, but it had given Sigyn confidence and self-respect. There were many other unfortunate things that might have happened if they had never left Asgard.

"I broke his heart," she went on. "And I broke yours, too. I failed, both as a wife and a sister."

"No, Sigyn. I'm not going to pretend to understand what it is like to be a half-mortal, but I know you did what you had to do. We loved you, but we never treated you as an equal. We were so condescending, so…"

Sigyn gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You only wanted to protect me."

"And look at you know. The Queen of Asgard…"

She laughed mirthlessly. "Do I look like a queen to you?"

"You shouldn't ask me. I only saw my little sister when I look at you."

"Sif?"

"Yes?"

"I wish Frigga were here."

"I know." Sif wasn't sure why, but if Frigga were still here, neither of them would feel so vulnerable right now. Not knowing what else to do, she pulled Sigyn into a hug, and Sigyn held onto her tightly, like the way she used to do when they were children. "Sigyn…"

"Mm?"

"If we fail, if your vision comes true…"

Sigyn immediately pulled herself back to look her in the eye. "Sif, no…"

"This time," she continued, "Choose to save Loki. You don't owe me anything."

"No," she said, shaking her head frantically. "I'm not going to choose anyone!"

"Sigyn, listen to me," Sif insisted. "I'm asking you to choose Loki, because if Asgard falls, you two are the only ones who can still avenge us. You are… different. You think differently, you fight differently. You can do things warriors like me cannot do. This is why I want you to choose him."

"All warfare is based on deception," she mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing… Just something I learned in Midgard." This time, it was Sigyn who pulled her into a hug. "I'm not going to choose anyone," she repeated. "It won't come to that."

…

Sif had never thought she would become a liesmith herself, but the current circumstances had left her no other choice. Well, she wasn't exactly a "liesmith," but hiding the truth about Thanos and Odin from everyone was challenging enough for her. Nonetheless, she would be a fool if she refused to understand why this was necessary. The truth would only spread fear and chaos across the Nine Realms. As for Thor, he had never been one for elaborate schemes. Sif loved him, but she had to admit that he would ruin everything they had achieved so far. Which wasn't much, but it was still better than being completely unprepared.

When Loki summoned them to the throne room one day, Sif hoped Odin was alright. He was all alone in Midgard now, with no memory of who he really was, or what he was capable of. Even a mere mortal could easily kill him. The thought made it especially harder for Sif to be a part of this scheme, but she had been dragged into it, and there was no going back now.

"Odin" seemed quite cheerful when they entered, though, so Sif assumed his father was still safe. He dismissed the guards. Once they were alone, he started, still wearing his disguise, "I learned a few things today."

"Well?" Sif asked impatiently. Just because she had to work with him, it didn't mean she enjoyed it.

"Heimdall told me what the Nexus is."

The Nexus was the solution the mortals had come up with, though even they didn't know what it was yet.

"It's a combination of the essence of each Infinity Stone," Loki went on. "That was the time-traveler's plan."

"Don't be ridiculous, Loki, that's impossible!" The essence of the Infinity Stones? Even Asgard, the most advanced realm in the universe, couldn't create something like that.

"No, it's not," Sigyn disagreed. "Howard discovered the essence of the Space Stone. Though it took him decades to do it. At least it explains why Ana and Shuri asked me about the Infinity Stones."

"And you didn't tell them," Loki reminded.

"A grave mistake on my part."

"Why did you not ask Heimdall about this Nexus before?" Sif scolded him.

"Do you think it's easy to ask Heimdall such questions without raising suspicion? Show some gratitude, Sif! I'm doing whatever I can."

"You knew it wasn't going to be easy when you usurped your father's throne!"

"Sif, Loki, please!" Sigyn snapped at them, and they went quiet. "Alright, they don't trust us now, but we have to find a way to let them know."

"Thor can help," Loki suggested.

"Thor?"

"HYDRA has revealed itself," Loki said. "That's another thing Heimdall told me this morning."

Sigyn's eyes blazed with such a fury that for a moment, Sif couldn't recognize her own sister. "How?"

"They tried to kill every mortal who might be a threat to them one day. Like, 20 million mortals… Don't worry, Rogers, Fury, and Romanoff took care of them before they could execute their plan. But SHIELD went down with HYDRA."

"Good. The corruption went too deep. It was the only way."

It didn't make much sense to Sif, but then she remembered that Sigyn understood Midgard better than any of them. If she said this was the only way, then it was the only way. "Then why are you so upset, sister?"

"I'm not upset. I'm just… I've been waiting for too long for this day."

"What will happen to Midgard now?"

Loki smirked. Sif wished he stopped doing this. Seeing Loki's arrogant smirk on Odin's face made her skin crawl. "Tony Stark has invited the Avengers to his tower in New York so that they can destroy HYDRA's remaining forces. And this is where we can use Thor's help."

"How?"

"Let me show you."

Sif and Sigyn looked at each other, but the latter didn't look like she knew what Loki was up to. They watched him in confused silence as he reached out to Thor through astral projection. A projection of Thor appeared in the throne room, but it looked like he could only see "Odin." Sif tried not to think about how handsome he still looked in those Midgardian clothes.

"Father!" Thor greeted him. "You look well. How fares Asgard?"

"Asgard is prospering, as usual. What of Midgard?"

His smile faded. "Not well. HYDRA finally revealed itself. SHIELD has been destroyed. It is safe now, but people are concerned. Even Jane…"

"Yes, yes… So, I've been told by Heimdall. Are you going to accept the Howardson's invitation?"

"Of course! Many glorious battles await us."

"Good… Because I want you to deliver a message to his daughter."

"Ana?" he asked, apparently surprised that his father had a message for a mortal.

"Yes. Director Fury entrusted her with Loki's scepter. And I have decided to do the same. I want the girl to keep and study it. Tell her that the scepter contains the Mind Stone."

He furrowed his eyebrows in vexation. "Loki's scepter contains an Infinity Stone?"

"It does. That's why you cannot bring it to Asgard. Especially now that another stone has appeared."

"Another stone?"

"The Aether. It contains the Reality Stone. I sent it the Collector by Sif and Volstagg immediately."

Thor nodded gravely. "A wise decision… But, Father, do you think this is a coincidence? Three Infinity Stones showing up in the last few years..."

"Let me worry about that, my son. Do you remember your lessons on the creation of the universe?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good. Then you can answer any questions the Stark girl will have about the Infinity Stones. Oh, and tell her that I am sorry. It was wrong of me to ignore Midgard for so long. I was being… _sloppy_. Just tell her that. She'll understand."

Thor now seemed even more confused, but he nodded nevertheless. "As you wish, Father."

"Farewell, my son," he said, and broke the spell.

"You didn't say anything about the Nexus," Sif said. "How is that going to help them?"

"I don't have to say anything about the Nexus. The Stark girl will figure it out."

"How do you know that?"

"Because she's a clever one. I've been inside her head."

"I'm going back to Midgard," Sigyn suddenly announced, and stormed out of the throne room. Sif went after her. Even if she sensed Sif was following her, she didn't stop to look back. They just strode in silence for a time.

"Where are you going?" Sif finally asked as they left the city behind them and Heimdall's Observatory appeared on the horizon.

"I told you, I'm going back to Midgard!" Sigyn replied without even looking at her.

"Yes, but for what?"

"To avenge Maria and Howard."

"Now?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, I'm coming with you."

Only then, Sigyn stopped in her tracks and turned to face her. "Why?"

"I don't want you to be alone."

"Thanks, but I can handle HYDRA myself."

"Do you even know who killed them?"

"No."

"How are you hoping to find out?"

In response, Sigyn only looked at the Observatory.

"And if Heimdall refuses to tell you? Sigyn, you must think this through. Loki said SHIELD was gone as well. I know you had some… privileges in Midgard, privileges that could help you find out who killed your friends, but if SHIELD has really collapsed, you must have lost those privileges."

Sigyn conjured a piece of fine hide that was folded into two. When she flipped it open, Sif saw the SHIELD sigil embedded inside. "What is this? Your coat of arms?"

Sigyn laughed half-heartedly. "This is my SHIELD badge. Or, rather, it was. You're right, I don't have any privileges in Midgard now." She tossed the badge into the abyss, as if it had suddenly caught on fire.

"You shouldn't have thrown it away. It was a keepsake. Something to remember your friends by."

"I don't need trinkets to remember them. Howard and Peggy… They did so much to protect their world._ Too_ much. In the end, it consumed them. I'm glad SHIELD is gone."

Sif took her hand. "I know you can do this on your own. The thing is, you don't have to. Let me help."

Sigyn gave her a small smile. "Thanks, sister."

She started walking again. Heimdall was waiting for them.

"My ladies," he greeted them dryly.

"You know why we're here." Sigyn was almost begging him.

"Have you not learned anything from your mistakes, Lady Sigyn?"

"I have. That's why I've waited for so long. Please, good Heimdall. All I ask is a name. Just give me a name."

Heimdall considered it for a moment while Sigyn waited expectantly, then finally said, "The Winter Soldier. The Winter Soldier killed your friends. The rest is up to you."

The name didn't mean anything to Sif, and she didn't know if it meant anything to her sister. But she seemed satisfied. "Thank you."

"Now, where do you want to go?"

"To the last known location of the Winter Soldier."

"Very well. I wish you good fortune in your quest for vengeance."

With these words, he unsheathed Hofund, and activated the Bifrost. In a matter of seconds, the two sisters were in Midgard. They were standing on the top of a hill, but Sif could see a river in the distance, and a mortal city beyond that river.

"Where are we?"

"Welcome to Washington DC, sister."

…

It amazed Sif to see how resourceful her sister had become. She disguised their armors as Midgardian outfits, found a four-wheeled vehicle—a car, she called it—that would help them travel faster, and brought them to a hotel, like the one Lorelei had chosen to hide in. Sif thought they would visit her friend, Peggy, while they were here, but Sigyn had said she didn't want to be distracted right now. She was trying to discover the identity of the Winter Soldier with the help of a laptop and WiFi connection, while Sif was busy exploring their chambers.

"Sif, come here," she gasped at some point. "You must see this."

Sif ran up to her immediately. "Yes?"

"I've been going through the leaked HYDRA files. I know who the Winter Soldier is. But then, so does everyone else in Midgard. Sergeant Barnes. It's quite a scandal."

"Why?"

"He was a Howling Commando, and Captain Rogers' best friend."

The way Sigyn spoke, this surely had some significance, but whatever it was, it eluded Sif. "So?"

"He was supposed to have died a hero. I think Barnes killed the Starks, and many other innocent people, but not willingly. I think he was brainwashed by HYDRA."

"Sorcery," Sif spat, disgusted.

"I wouldn't call it 'sorcery,' sister. Mortals are not that advanced. It's just primitive science."

"Whatever you say. So, what do we do now?"

"Heimdall is clever. He gave me a name, but not of the man who ordered the hit. But if we find Barnes…"

"He can tell us who was behind it."

"Yes. The problem is, he is good. Really good. No one has seen him since the HYDRA Uprising."

"How are we going to find him?"

"With sorcery. If I have something that was a part of him once, I can locate him. According to the reports, Barnes and Rogers had a fight on one of the Project Insight helicarriers. There must be some blood or hair."

"Are you going to search the entire place by yourself?" Sif had seen the ruins of the Triskelion on their way to the hotel. The debris was massive. Sigyn had said it would take years for mortals to clean it up.

"I don't have to. Damage Control has been doing that for me. I'm just going to pay them a visit, and borrow all the blood, hair, and tissue samples they have found. At least one of them should belong to Sergeant Barnes."

Once again, she was impressed. "Clever… But please, don't get caught."

"I'll be back in a few hours."

After she left, Sif decided to meddle with her laptop. It seemed like a useful tool to learn more about this realm. She read about Sergeant Barnes and Captain Rogers first, and then the Avengers. Eventually, she found herself reading everything she could find about Thor. She couldn't believe how many "fans" he had here. There were pictures as well. Pictures of him fighting the Chitauri in New York, pictures he had taken with some of his fans, and pictures of him and Jane Foster taken by the "paparazzi." He seemed happy. He seemed at home. Just like Sigyn. The last thing Sif wanted was to empathize with Loki, but she had to admit that she understood how hurtful it was to lose first a spouse, and then a sibling to these mortals. Well, she hadn't really "lost" them. She and Sigyn still loved each other dearly, and Thor was still her friend. It wasn't the mortals' fault that Thor no longer fancied her. It was her own. She was the one who had rejected his advances in the past.

Sigyn returned by nightfall. And she seemed victorious. "We're going to Bucharest," she announced.

"Where is Bucharest?"

"A city in Europe."

"So, I assume you cast your locating spell?"

"Yes. And because I hid my ship in Tonsberg, I'm going to cast an invisibility spell so that we can fly commercial to Norway first without forging us passports."

"Can't you just find another flyer for us?"

"Do you want me to steal a jet? Because that would be much more conspicuous."

"Well, being stowaways sounds less dishonorable than being thieves…"

Sigyn narrowed her eyes suspiciously when she realized Sif had been using her laptop. Thankfully, Sif had closed the "windows" when she had heard Sigyn return. Still, Sigyn did something with it, and what she saw on the screen made her burst into laughter.

"You've been stalking Thor!"

"I'm not _stalking_ anybody!"

"It's alright, Sif. Next time you stalk someone, remember to delete your browser history afterwards."

Sif turned around stubbornly and pretend to look out the window.

"Sister, please!" Sigyn came up to her and hugged him. "I just missed _this_. I missed having fun together."

"I'm sorry. I'm being childish."

"No. I guess I hit a sour spot. But Thor's relationship with Jane Foster won't last long."

"I know."

"No, it's not what I meant. It doesn't necessarily have to end with her death. I just don't think they can make this work."

"Why not?"

"Thor wants to give this a try, he really does. But when he came to me, he just didn't seem… ready. There is a price, Sif. And Thor isn't willing to pay that price."

Sif sighed. She wasn't supposed to feel selfishly hopeful. This was a terrible struggle for Thor. But deep down, she was hoping Sigyn was right.

"It's alright, sister," Sigyn said, as if she could read her thoughts. "It's alright to be selfish sometimes. When was the last thing you wanted something for yourself?"

To be honest, Sif couldn't remember when was the last time she had wanted something for herself. "Let's just go to this Bucharest and find out who really killed your friends."

…

Although Sigyn had cloaked them invisible, Sergeant Barnes was constantly looking back over his shoulder as they followed him through the streets of Bucharest. Sif wasn't sure if it was merely a habit, or he could somehow "sense" them. He bought some food, then returned home. Sif was surprised to see that the mortals here lived in tiny cubes that formed concrete towers, but Sigyn said it was a common practice, especially in large cities.

"What now?" Sif asked after Barnes entered his apartment.

"Let's see if we can do this the easy way first."

She knocked on the door. When no answer came, she knocked again. Sif didn't have much hope, but the door suddenly opened.

"Can I help you?" he asked tensely. Sif decided to let her sister do the talking.

"Hello, Sergeant Barnes."

His eyes widened in alarm, and he started backing away from them.

"Please," Sigyn continued. "We're not here to fight you. On the contrary, we have a common enemy: HYDRA."

"Who are you people?" he asked, still retreating further into his apartment.

"I'm Sigyn Tyrsdottir of Asgard. This is my sister, Lady Sif."

"So, you're aliens… Do you really expect me to believe that?"

Sigyn broke the illusion spell that hid their armors as Midgardian clothes.

"Shit," he hissed, and then punched a hole on the floor. He took out a bag, then threw it out of the window.

"No, wait—" Sigyn approached him, but he sent her flying back to the door, knocking over them both. Barnes ran past them and started descending the stairs at an incredible speed. They went after him, with their swords drawn. At some point, he stopped descending, and jumped through a window. He landed on another, lower rooftop, where his bag was waiting for him. The two sisters kept pursuing him.

"What's in that bag?" she asked Sigyn.

"Money, weapons, fake IDs, passports… Whatever he needs to stay alive and off the grid."

They were closing the gap. Sif had to admit that she had underestimated this mortal's strength, but it would be a lie if she said the chase wasn't giving her a thrill. And while Sigyn was a lot stronger than she used to be, she still wasn't as fast as Sif. Once Sif decided that she was close enough, she leaped forward and tackled him from behind. They started wrestling on the floor.

"Yield, Sergeant Barnes! We don't want to harm you."

"Then why do you have swords?"

There was no time to explain. Sigyn came to her help, and pulled Barnes away from her, but he managed to grasp Sif's sword with one hand. Sif pulled his arm with such a force that she ripped it off. Only then, they realized that arm was of metal, not flesh. Sigyn forced him down on his knees, and pressed her sword against his throat. She only released him when he raised his hand in surrender. They all looked at each other, panting heavily.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" he asked, as if he was surprised that they hadn't slain him where he stood already.

"That depends," Sigyn replied.

"On what?"

"On how much control you had over your actions when you killed two of my friends… Now, can we go back to your apartment and talk?"

…

Barnes didn't tell them anything, claiming he didn't remember his life as either Sergeant Barnes, or the Winter Soldier. Sigyn, on the other hand, told him her entire story.

"I wish you hadn't done it, sister," Sif whispered to her while Sigyn was studying Barnes' notebook. He had been keeping notes on his scattered memories, details that came and went, and the facts he had been able to discover about his old life.

"Hadn't done what?" she asked idly.

"Told him who you were."

"I can heal him, Sif. But I need to earn his trust first."

"What if he _chose_ to kill your friends?"

"Then he will know he is paying for their lives with his as I kill him."

Barnes was out on the small and filthy balcony of the apartment, probably considering Sigyn's offer. She had told him how she could use her magic to give him his memories back. He had been standing there, doing nothing for hours. At last, he returned inside.

"I want to do it," he announced.

Sigyn closed the notebook and put it aside. "Very well. Sit down and try to relax. This won't hurt you, I promise."

"I can handle the pain. I've been tortured countless times."

"That may be so, but I'm not a torturer."

He sat down on a chair and closed his eyes. When Sigyn placed her hands on his temples, he sucked in a sharp breath. She told him to relax, but he only frowned and clenched his fists. Sif was ready to intervene in case he turned hostile and attacked Sigyn. But he didn't. By the time he opened his eyes, Sif could see that he was a different man now. He and Sigyn looked at each other and nodded in something that resembled agreement.

"Sister?"

"Vasily Karpov," she whispered, her voice full of venomous hatred. Sif didn't ask her who that was. It was the name of the man Sigyn had been waiting to kill for more than two decades.

…

They traveled to another country called Germany next. After landing on an empty field, Sigyn left Sif and Barnes alone on the ship, and returned wih a car a about quarter an hour later. "Get in," she told them.

Sif sat down next to her sister, while Barnes seated himself in the back of the car. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"We're going to meet someone. I wish I didn't have to bring her into this, but I had no choice."

When Sigyn turned a key, the vehicle started humming. As her sister drove, Sif quietly observed the Midgardian roads. It was way past midnight, so they were mostly empty now. She could see the lights of their cities in the distance. They stopped under a concrete bridge, where a woman who was dressed completely in black was waiting.

"Stay in the car," Sigyn told them, and went out.

She and the woman greeted each other with a hug, then the latter gave her something. They exchanged a few words, then she scurried away, while Sigyn returned to the car. She was holding a rectangular, straw-colored envelope.

"Who was that?" Sif asked.

"Sharon Carter. Peggy's great-niece," she replied and turned to Sergeant Barnes. "You never saw her here. She works for the CIA now, I don't want her to get into any trouble because of us."

"Understood."

"Good." She tore the envelope open and looked at the papers inside.

"Well?" Barnes asked. He sounded as bloodthirsty as Sigyn now.

"He's in Cleveland."

* * *

**A/N: I loved the movie, but aside from the general awesomeness, there were two particular details that made me fall in love with it. The first one was, Jarvis, of course. He's always been my favorite character, and I'm so happy that he was chosen to be the first character that made it from TV to the movies. The second was, the nod to A-Force. As a fanfiction author who created her own version of A-Force, that scene made me so proud of my work and inspired me so much!**

**As for the ending… Well, it was heartbreaking, of course. To be honest, I felt like I had a taste of my own poison after what I did you guys at the end of **_**The Princess**_**. But because Ana seems to be my most popular OC, I want to say that she's going to get a less depressing closure at the end of **_**The Goddess**_**. Let's just say you haven't seen the last of the Starks ;)**


	22. Chapter 22

The silence in the car as Sigyn drove to Karpov's house was so unnerving that Sif decided to break it. "I'm sorry about your arm," she told Barnes.

"Don't be. I'd killed a lot of people with that arm. I think a part of me is even glad that it's gone."

"Thanks for choosing to trust us. It cannot be easy for you."

"Your story makes sense."

"Does it?"

He shrugged. "Why else would two Asgardians be after me?"

Sigyn had given him his memories back, but something was still bothering him, Sif could see. "You don't have to come with us. We know who really murdered the Starks now. You're free to go."

"Actually, he is not," Sigyn broke in.

"No?"

"I helped him remember his past, but the Winter Soldier is still buried somewhere in his mind."

"What kind of sorcery is that?"

"It's called brainwashing. There are certain… trigger words that can be still used to awaken the Winter Soldier."

"What words?"

"He can't remember them. But he remembers the book they were written in. Perhaps Karpov still has it."

"I can't trust my own mind. If there's no way to fix me, then you're going to have to put me down. I'm too dangerous."

Barnes was willing to sacrifice his own life to stop himself from hurting others… In Sif's eyes, that was enough to make him a hero.

"Your mind is not beyond hope. Once we're done here, I'll see what I can do for you. Howard would want me to." Sigyn stopped the car. "We'll walk from here."

They climbed out of the car and followed her lead.

"Karpov will recognize me," he warned them.

"He won't even see you until I want him to, don't worry."

They stopped in front of one of the houses. These weren't "apartments," but more like the houses the commoners of Asgard lived in. This particular house had many windows, like the others, but they all had been covered. Sigyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Sister?"

"I'm ready." She opened her eyes, strode to the door and knocked it.

"Who is this?" a wary male voice asked.

"Justice." Sigyn kicked the door off the hinges. Karpov tried to escape, but his leg got trapped under the heavy door when it fell. Sigyn kicked it off of him, grabbed him by the neck, dragged him to sit in the nearest chair, conjured her enchanted chains, and shackled him to his seat. She looked like a true berserker. The inside of the house was dark, musty, and in disarray. Sif picked up the door and placed it against the frame as best as she could to give them more privacy. Barnes helped her, still invisible to their enemy.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked them.

"I'm Lady Sigyn of Asgard. The guardian of the Tesseract and the first Consultant to SHIELD. That's my sister, Sif."

"Asgardians? What do you want from me?"

"On December 16, 1991, you sent the Winter Soldier to kill Howard and Maria Stark and steal five doses of super soldier serum. You're going to tell me how you knew about the serum."

"Why do you care?"

"Howard and Maria were my friends. I've been waiting for this day since you murdered them."

"_I_ didn't murder them. The Winter Soldier did."

"No. The Winter Soldier was just another victim of HYDRA." She must have broken the spell, because Karpov's eyes widened at the sight of Sergeant Barnes.

"Shit," Karpov hissed. "I'm not telling you anything. Go to hell."

"I'm rather planning to unleash it upon you." She tore his shirt open, and conjured a silver dagger Sif had never seen before. She wasn't sure why, but something about it made her uneasy.

"Torture?" he scoffed.

"Magic," Sigyn corrected him. "This will make you feel the pain of your victims."

So, dark magic… Sigyn was going to use dark magic on this mortal. To be honest, Sif didn't even know her sister practiced it. Damn, Loki must have given her these poisonous ideas… But Karpov didn't even seem nervous. He laughed. "My victims? Which one of them?"

"_All_ of them."

When the dagger drew the first drop of blood, he sucked in a sharp breath and said, "Hail HYDRA."

Upon hearing that, Sigyn's eyes turned to a darker shade of blue, almost black, and she started chanting words in an ancient language. It was a harsh, guttural and ominous tongue. To be honest, Sif was now barely able to recognize her own sister. The room became even darker than before, and an eerie wind started to howl.

"What the hell?" Barnes whispered anxiously. "Is this supposed to happen?"

"This is dark magic. None of this is supposed to happen. But Sigyn wants her revenge."

He looked at Karpov, as if he wasn't sure if he should feel scared or satisfied. As for Karpov, he kept hissing, gritting his teeth, and muttering _"Hail HYDRA."_ But by the time Sigyn finished carving the rune on his chest, he was sobbing in pain.

"Please," he begged. "Make it stop! I'll tell you everything, please just stop!"

Sigyn did. "I'm listening."

"It was his partner… Stark's business partner, Obadiah Stane! He told us about the serum!"

Sigyn almost seemed disappointed to hear this. When she sheathed the dagger, Karpov ceased to move. The unnatural darkness and the wind abated as well.

"Let's search the house," Sigyn said before anyone could tell her anything. "Sif, let us know if you find a red book with a star on its cover."

Sif and Sigyn searched this floor while Barnes ventured down to the basement. In the end, he was the one who found the book.

"So, can we start looking for a cure for Sergeant Barnes?" Sif asked, hoping this quest to be over as soon as possible. She didn't want to see her sister like that ever again.

"Not yet," Sigyn said. "Bucky also remembers a bunker in Siberia. There are five more Winter Soldiers there. He might not have volunteered to be an assassin for HYDRA, but they had. And that's why we're going to kill them."

…

As Barnes had claimed, there were five more Winter Soldiers in the bunker in Siberia, asleep in small frozen chambers. Sif, Sigyn, and Barnes all agreed that there was no redemption for these ones, so slaying them in their sleep was the wisest thing to do. Sigyn had settled the score with HYDRA, but Sergeant Barnes still needed a place where he could "lay low," so Sigyn decided to take her to her house in Tonsberg. Sif decided to go with them. The two sisters still hadn't found a chance to talk about what had happened in Cleveland, and Sif didn't want to leave until they did.

But there was a surprise waiting for them in Tonsberg. The Allfather himself. He was free of Loki's spell, yet he had refused to return to Asgard and reclaim his throne. He wanted to stay in Midgard, saying he felt stronger here, and his life was the only thing that stood between the universe and some grave threats, though he never spoke of Thanos' name. So, Sigyn was quite busy, both taking care of Odin and trying to heal Bucky. Sif was doing whatever she could to help her. It felt odd at first, living a quiet, simple life in a small house with her sister, the most powerful being in the Nine Realms, and the most notorious assassin of Midgard, but she soon grew used to it. Back in Asgard, she would always think house chores were beneath a noble warrior like herself, but apparently, Midgard had taught Sif, too, some humility.

She was mopping the kitchen floor when Odin entered one evening.

"Allfather?" she asked. "Do you need something?"

"Your sister received a message moment ago. Her last mortal friend is dead."

"Peggy Carter?"

"Yes."

She set the mop aside and ran to the living room. Bucky was there, sitting quietly in a corner, but Sigyn was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's she?"

"She went out, said she wanted to pray for Peggy's soul."

Sif went out, too. If Sigyn was going to pray, she had a guess where to find her.

The temple where the Tesseract had once been hidden still stood, though it was no longer used for worship. Sigyn had explained to her how it had become a monument after the war, though apparently mortals didn't pay it much attention anymore. It was located just outside the town, and the narrow path that led to the temple was not well-trodden. But Sigyn was there, indeed. The wall with a carving of Yggdrasil was still intact, and she was on her knees, facing it. She was praying the Norns to let Peggy Carter's soul into Valhalla. Sif knelt down beside her and joined the prayer.

"I'm sorry," Sif said once it was over.

"She lived a good life. Watched her children and grandchildren grow up. And died in her sleep. The rest of my friends weren't as fortunate," she said solemnly, but a few tears fell from her eyes. She wiped them away, then continued, "Do you remember how you held my hand during my mother's funeral?"

"Of course I do."

"Peggy was the one who always held my hand during the funerals I attended here. Ana was the first, then Howard and Maria, and a year later, Mr. Jarvis… I was starting to wonder what I was going to do during her funeral. Whose hand I was going to hold… I'm glad you're here, Sif."

Sif hugged her. "I will always be there for you, sister."

"Thank you… Come, let's go back."

Sigyn made a lot of phone calls that night. Sif had to admit that not every word that came out of her sister's mouth made sense to her, but for some reason, Bucky almost seemed… expectant. Then it dawned on her. Tomorrow, they were going to fly to another city called London for the funeral. Bucky's old friend, Steve Rogers would be there as well. He was Peggy's lover during the war. Bucky had been looking for an opportunity to be reunited with him.

…

They left Odin in Tonsberg, and flew to a small cottage that was just outside London. Bucky would be hiding here during the funeral, then they were going to explain the situation to Captain Rogers and bring him here.

Sif didn't know what to expect during a Midgardian funeral, but Sigyn had lent her a black funeral dress and a pair of black shoes. When they arrived at the temple—mortals called it a church—where the ceremony was going to take place, Sif observed most people were dressed in black, like them. Others were wearing various uniforms.

"I received a message from Fury last night," Sigyn suddenly whispered, looking around as if she was looking for a specific person. At first, she had assumed it was Captain Rogers, but now, Sigyn's voice gave her the impression that she was concerned about someone else. "We might have an unexpected guest."

"Who?"

"Tony Stark. He and the other Avengers… learned about Thanos. And me. I bet he wants some answers. Be nice to him, will you?"

"The other Avengers… Does that include Thor?"

She shrugged. "Probably."

So, Thor knew about Thanos now… "What do you think he's going to do?"

"I don't know, sister."

"Why didn't you tell Bucky anything?"

"I didn't want to make him more nervous than he already was."

"You mean, you didn't want him to run away?"

"He doesn't want to cause any more trouble. Can you blame him?"

"What about you? You seem even more nervous."

"When I left Tony's daughter on his doorstep, I didn't give much thought to the consequences."

"They should be grateful to you."

"Should they? I left a baby on his doorstep and ran away like a coward. I wish I could've been honest with them from the start."

"You were protecting them. If you'd been honest with the Howardson, then you would've had to be honest about how his parents had died as well."

"Let's get inside."

Inside the church, there were rows of wooden benches facing some kind of altar at the front, with Peggy's picture standing beside it. The place was decorated with many white flowers and candles. They sat down on one of the benches. For a time, nothing significant happened. Then a chorus of mortal children started singing some kind of requiem, and everyone stood up. Sif followed their example. A group of men were carrying Peggy's coffin inside. "The blond one," Sigyn whispered, but she didn't have to. It was easy to recognize Captain Rogers by the mournful look on his face. The men carried the coffin to the altar, everybody sat down again, the chorus went quiet, and a priest gave a short speech, then invited Sharon Carter to "say a few words."

Sharon Carter stepped onto the podium, looked around, and said, "Margaret Carter was known to most as the founder of SHIELD, but I just know her as Aunt Peggy. She had a photograph in her office: Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to, which is why I never told anyone we were related. I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage at a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. And she said, "Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say, 'No, YOU move'."

Sif didn't know much about Midgardian funeral traditions, but wished Sigyn were allowed to say a few things about Peggy as well. She looked like she wanted to. After her speech, Sharon Carter came to them.

"What's Stark doing here?" she whispered to Sigyn.

"He's here for _me_," Sigyn whispered back. "Don't worry about him. And Rogers knows about me as well."

"How do you know?"

"Fury called me last night. Thank you for everything, Sharon. I'll take it from here. You should be with your family. They need you."

"Okay. See you later."

Once Sharon was out of the hearing range, Sigyn told Sif, "Sharon doesn't know about Thanos. I'd like to keep it that way."

Sif nodded. Sigyn was extremely protective of the families of her friends. In the meantime, people were leaving the church. The only ones who stayed put were Sif, Sigyn, Sharon, a red-haired woman—this had to be the Black Widow, Sif recalled, one of Thor's new companions—Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers, and a friend of his.

Stark, his girlfriend and Romanoff came to greet Captain Rogers.

"Thank you all for coming," Sharon told all of them. "This is Sigyn, an old family friend, and her sister, Sif."

Sif nodded. "I'm honored to meet the Avengers."

"As am I," Sigyn said. "Last night, I prayed the Norns to let Peggy's soul through the gates of Valhalla."

Rogers gave them a questioning look. "I thought only Asgardians were allowed to go to Valhalla."

"True, but they made an exception for my mother once. Perhaps they'll make an exception for Peggy as well."

"Perhaps." He seemed confused. Sif had thought these mortals would be used to the presence of Asgardians by now. But then, perhaps this confusion resulted from their initial assumption that Thor was the first Asgardian that had been involved in their lives. Now, that assumption had been proved wrong.

"I know this is not a good time for any of us, but there's something you need to see," Sigyn said, and Sif realized that she was planning to take Stark to see Bucky with them as well.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you," Sharon said, and excused herself.

Much to Sif's displeasure, Stark grabbed Sigyn by the arm as they walked out of the church. "We need to talk."

But Sigyn didn't seem to be bothered at all. "And we will. Patience, Tony."

He let her go. Everyone returned to their cars, and follow Sigyn's lead to the cottage. This cottage belonged to the Carter family, Sigyn had said. They had let her borrow it for this meeting, but Bucky couldn't hide here forever.

When they entered, Stark looked like he wanted to kill Barnes, and the only thing that stopped him from doing so was Pepper Potts.

Rogers gasped immediately. "Bucky!"

"Hi, Steve."

"Honey, get out of here," Stark told Potts. "It's not safe."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Captain Rogers chose to ignore them. "What happened to your arm?"

"It was a misunderstanding."

He glared at the Asgardian sisters this time. "Did you rip his arm off?"

Bucky sighed. "Calm down, Steve. I told you, it was a misunderstanding."

"What the hell is going on here?" Stark roared. "Give me one reason not to kill this bastard, right now!"

"Without your armor, you're no match for Sergeant Barnes, Howardson," Sif decided to remind him.

"Tony, please. She's right," Potts, who seemed to be scared of Sif a bit, agreed, and he went quiet.

"How much do you know about me?" Sigyn asked.

Potts replied, "We know that you're Loki's wife. We know you're half-human, half-Asgardian. You came here to guard the Tesseract after World War II, and became good friends with Howard Stark and Peggy Carter. Once Howard Stark was able to replicate the super soldier serum, he used it on you."

Sigyn nodded. "True. When the experiment was a success, Howard immediately produced more samples. Five doses, to be specific."

"My mission was to steal them," Barnes added.

"I was in Asgard when HYDRA resurfaced," Sigyn went on. "When Heimdall told us what happened, Sif and I went to Midgard and started looking for Sergeant Barnes. I wanted to know what HYDRA had done with the serum. But more importantly, I wanted to know how much control he had over his actions. I swear to you, Tony, on my honor as a warrior, if I believed Sergeant Barnes was guilty, I would have killed him myself."

It was actually Loki who had told them about HYDRA, but it looked like Sigyn wanted to leave him out of this conversation. Given how tense the atmosphere in the room was, it was a wise decision.

"Why did you fight him, then?" Steve asked.

"I didn't know who they were, Steve," Barnes replied. "Hell, I wasn't even sure who I was. So, yeah, we had a fight. I lost. Sigyn, she got inside my head, and… fixed me."

"What they had done to him was horrible. Barbaric. His mind wasn't easy to heal. But once I did, he gave us the location of an old HYDRA base in Siberia, where the other five Winter Soldiers were kept in cryo-cells. They had been injected with Howard's formula."

"There were more of you?" Rogers' friend, Sam Wilson, cried.

"Rest easy. We killed them in their sleep," Sif said.

"This Heimdall… He's your gatekeeper, right? He can see everything?" Stark asked sharply.

Sif nodded. "Yes."

"Then why didn't he see HYDRA coming?"

Damn. He was as clever as his father.

"As a matter of fact, he did," Sigyn admitted.

"Go on."

"They had warned me. Heimdall, Queen Frigga, the Allfather… They had warned me not to directly meddle with mortal affairs. I didn't listen. I told Howard everything. He knew he couldn't trust SHIELD anymore, so he decided to turn the serum over the American government instead. HYDRA found out."

"So, if you just had kept your mouth shut…"

"What about Peggy?" Rogers asked. "Did she know?"

"How could I tell her, after what they did to Howard and Maria?"

"Tony, maybe you should sit down," Potts suggested. He obeyed. She helped him took out his jacket and loosen his tie.

Sigyn turned to him again. "You wanted to know, Tony. Now you do. Howard was my friend. Thanks to him, now I have a chance to die a warrior's death and go to Valhalla."

"And yet, he died because of you!"

"I'll never forgive myself for that. I'll never forgive myself for what Loki did to you and your daughter either. I know he hurt you to spite me."

"Maybe I should kill you to spite _him_."

Sigyn had asked Sif to be nice to him, but she couldn't tolerate such a threat. "Choose your next words very carefully, Stark…"

Sigyn put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "It's alright, sister. If you want to kill me, go ahead, Tony. I will not fight you. But I want you to know that my husband wasn't always a monster."

"I don't care. He was almost going to make Ana kill me. And then he was going to kill her."

"He is complicated."

"Complicated?" he scoffed.

"After what happened to your parents, Heimdall wouldn't tell me anything that didn't concern the guardian of the Tesseract. Who do you think told me you had a daughter?"

Tony didn't reply. Instead, he simply buried his face in his hands and his girlfriend stroked his hair. "Do you want to leave?" she asked him.

"Not yet."

"What's going to happen to Bucky now?" Rogers asked. "We need to clear his name."

Sigyn shook her head. "I'm afraid I cannot help you with that."

"I guess he's going to need a new arm as well," Wilson added.

"Tony? Pepper? " Rogers asked. "Maybe you guys can pull some strings…"

"Not my problem," Tony replied, without even looking at them.

"Tony, come on," Rogers insisted.

"Not. My. Problem," he repeated and looked up. "I wasn't even here for your war buddy, I was here to learn more about Thanos. What, have you forgotten about him? You know, the guy who is going to destroy the world?"

"Who is Thanos?" Bucky asked Rogers.

"I'll explain later, Bucky… No, of course I haven't forgotten about him. You and Ana are the ones being irresponsible here, Tony, not us."

"What? Is this somehow our fault now?"

"This started because you let a 17-year-old kid mess with time itself! Without any supervision! What did you think would happen?"

"Boys, come on," Romanoff spoke for the first time. "Tearing each other apart won't help anyone. So, Thanos… What do we know about him?"

Sigyn said, "He is one of the most dangerous beings in the universe. Some call him the Mad Titan. When he invades a realm, he murders half of the population. Randomly. Why does he do that, I don't know. What I know is, those who oppose, betray, or disappoint him die a slow and painful death."

"Have you ever met this guy?" Wilson asked.

The mere thought seemed to have horrified her. "I wouldn't be here if I had. All I have is rumors."

"But you received some kind of warning, too. That's why you're so interested in him," Stark said. It sounded more like another accusation than an observation. _Ungrateful bastard_, Sif thought.

"When your daughter visited me in Tonsberg, I shouldn't have refused to help her. I was confused and scared. I didn't know who to trust anymore. But yes, I was aware of the threat."

"You're just full of secrets, aren't you?"

"This one is not _my_ secret to tell, Tony."

"Can he really get all the Infinity Stones?" Captain Rogers asked.

"He can. But he cannot attack the Nine Realms while Odin is still alive. That's why Loki was posing as Odin. The throne was taking a toll on the Allfather, especially after Queen Frigga's death. We'll try to keep him alive as long as we can. In the meantime, hopefully the Nexus can be created."

"Yeah, Fury and Ana are working on that."

Sigyn made no comment, but Sif could see that she wasn't very happy to hear that Howard Stark's granddaughter was working with Fury. Sigyn had never been able to fully trust that man, and for a good reason.

"Is that all?" Stark rose to his feet.

Sigyn shrugged. "I told you everything I know about Thanos."

Potts smiled at them politely. "Thank you."

Sigyn saw them off, while Sif remained with the others. Since Stark had refused to use his influence, they still had to find someone else who could help Sergeant Barnes.


	23. Chapter 23

The thing was, Sigyn had realized the Avengers, or at least Tony had learned the truth about her months ago, when Tony had come to Tonsberg. She had deceived him with an illusion and made him think her house was abandoned to avoid him back then, because she had figured if he had found out about Sigyn, he must have found out about Thanos as well, and the sight of Bucky would be just too much for him to handle. Now, she could see that she had done the right thing. Even after all this time, he still didn't seem to be in his right mind. Still, today could have gone a lot worse.

"So," Captain Rogers said with a wry smile on his face when Sigyn returned to the living room after seeing Tony and his girlfriend off. "_Helga Tiersen_, huh?"

Sigyn shrugged apologetically.

Everyone else shot them questioning looks, but Steve had apparently decided not to embarrass her any further. "Thank you. For what you did for Bucky."

"I wish I could do more."

"You know, if you decided to share your story with the world, it could help us prove his innocence…"

"My story? Do you honestly believe anyone would trust Loki's wife?"

He thought for a moment. "Fair point."

"Besides, I can't return to civilization," Bucky himself added. "I'm still too dangerous."

"What are you talking about, Buck?"

"The Winter Soldier is just dormant, not gone," Sigyn explained. "All one had to do is to say the right words in the correct order, and we'll lose Bucky again. We have the book, but…"

"What words? Is this some kind of conditioning?"

"Yes. I tried to heal him, but, here, I don't have the technology I need."

"What about Wakanda?"

"Do you want to take him to Wakanda?" she asked, surprised.

"They're the most technologically advanced nation in the world. If they can't help him, no one can."

"This is actually a good idea."

"Well, I'll speak with—"

"It should be me. I'll take him to Wakanda. King T'Challa once said I'd be always welcome, so it shouldn't be a problem. You're Captain America, and Bucky's best friend, so you going there might be a bit too obvious." Besides, Sigyn wanted to apologize to Princess Shuri in person for kicking her out of her house and threatening to kill her.

He looked at Bucky. Bucky shrugged.

Sam Wilson rubbed his stomach. "Now that it's settled, can we order a pizza or something? I'm starving here."

…

Steve and Sam returned to New York, and Sif to Tonsberg while Sigyn took Bucky to Wakanda. By the time she joined her sister, there were two visitors waiting for her. Thor and Loki. Right. Fury had said Thor had returned to Asgard right away after T'Challa had told the Avengers about Thanos. Odin seemed to be happy to see them, but Sigyn had never seen her sister so mortified before.

"Hello, Sigyn," Thor greeted her bitterly. "I see you've been rather busy…"

"Thor, you have every right to be upset. But we did what we did to protect you."

"From Thanos?"

"From yourself. We knew you'd try to take the fight to Thanos, and that would be suicide."

"You don't have to worry about that. My father and I discussed our options."

"And?"

"And, he thinks the wisest thing to do at this point is to locate the remaining Infinity Stones and warn their protectors. I agree. So, I'm going on a quest to find the Power and the Soul Stones."

"Wow. I wasn't expecting you to be so… mature about the whole thing."

"Make no mistake, Sigyn. I_ am_ upset. With you, Sif, Loki, Heimdall, Ana, even my parents… You all lied to me."

"I told you, we were—"

"Trying to protect me, yes. That's how little you think of me. You said it yourself, you weren't expecting me to be so mature about this." He rose to his feet. "Father, brother, Ladies Sif and Sigyn… Farewell."

As everyone watched him in confusion, he grabbed Mjolnir, walked out of the house, and took off.

"He is hurt," Sif observed, and she was absolutely right. Thor was hurt that his friends and family hadn't trusted him enough. What was more, instead of throwing a tantrum, he had expressed his frustration in a very civilized manner. He _had_ changed, perhaps more than any of them.

"Well, I better get going," Loki said. "Asgard still needs a king."

"Loki, you can't summon the Bifrost here. Come, I'll take you somewhere away from the town."

"I'd like to come with you as well," Odin suddenly said. "If you don't mind…"

So, the three of them went out of the house and into Sigyn's car, leaving only Sif behind. Perhaps the Allfather had something important to tell them, or he had simply wanted to give Sif some time alone to pull herself together. It was no secret that she fancied Thor, and they all had dragged her into this mess. Or maybe, Odin just needed some fresh air. It couldn't be easy for him to be trapped inside a small house after living in the palace for thousands of years.

"So, are you going to keep pretending to be the Allfather, or reveal the truth to the Nine Realms?" she asked Loki, who was sitting in the passenger seat, as she pulled the car out of the driveway.

"If I reveal the truth, the Nine Realms will be plunged into chaos in no time. We can't afford that."

"I agree."

"Heimdall isn't very happy about this arrangement, though. He says he can't keep doing this anymore."

So, Heimdall had openly admitted that he knew…

"Then banish him," the Allfather suggested.

"What?" they both asked, taken aback. True, Loki had considered banishing Heimdall, but they hadn't expected the Allfather himself to encourage the idea.

"Banish him. Release him from his oath. He is an honorable man. He doesn't want to be a part of this lie, but he understands why it is necessary. As King, you're the only one who can put an end to his struggle."

"And then what?"

"Then, he will forge his own path to serve Asgard. But your concern is touching, my son. You are going to be a good king."

Loki made no reply, but Sigyn could see the hint of pride in his eyes. All his life, this was what he had wanted to hear from Odin.

After almost half an hour of driving, she brought them to a seaside cliff. They climbed out of the car. Loki hugged his father, and then gave Sigyn a kiss. "Take good care of him."

Sigyn nodded.

"Heimdall, open the Bifrost!"

The rainbow bridge opened, and pulled Loki away. Now it was just Sigyn and Odin.

"Allfather? Shall we?" she asked, gesturing at the car with her head.

He looked around him. "This is a nice place. Peaceful. Can you bring me here again one day?"

"Anytime."

Seemingly pleased, Odin nodded, and got into the car.

…

After that day, she started taking Odin to that cliff twice a week. He would enjoy the peaceful silence for a few hours, then they would return home. His condition was deteriorating, and Sigyn didn't know how much progress the Starks and the Wakandan royal family had made on the Nexus. But Tony had called her once, and asked Sigyn about a magic book she suspected to be the Darkhold. If the time-traveler's plan was based on the Darkhold, that was quite a disturbing plan, and it needed to be stopped at once. Sigyn didn't care how desperate they were to stop Thanos. There were greater evils in this universe than him. She had tried to warn Tony against the book, hoping he would take her warning seriously and stop his daughter before she did anything stupid.

"I'm staying here," Odin said all of a sudden, during one of their outings. He sat down on a rock and started watching the calm sea below. Sigyn was hesitant at first, but then, decided to join him.

They sat in companionable silence for at least ten minutes, until Odin said, "I lied."

"I—I'm sorry?"

"I lied to Thor. About the Power and Soul Stones. I told him that I didn't know where they were."

"But you do…"

"The Power Stone is in the possession of the Nova Empire. And the Soul Stone is on Vormir."

"Vormir?" As far as she knew, Vormir was nothing but a dark and desolate realm.

"Yes."

"Why did you lie to Thor?"

"Because I want you and your sister go to Vormir and retrieve the Soul Stone."

"But if we leave, who is going to take care of you?"

"You have done everything in your power to keep me alive, child. But I don't have much time left. Even now, I can hear Frigga calling to me. Finding the stones before the Mad Titan does is more important than keeping me alive."

"If you say so…"

"I think I will stay here. You go back to your sister and prepare for the journey at once."

"As you wish." She got on her feet.

"And Sigyn?"

"Yes?"

"I hope you can forgive me. For everything I did to you."

Sigyn should probably tell him that there was nothing to forgive, and leave, but she couldn't. There was something. Something she had been trying so hard to push to the back of her mind, but it was still there, nagging at her.

"Allfather?"

"Yes, child?"

"I've been thinking about it, about how you adopted Loki and the lengths you went to keep his true parentage a secret… It was essential that he would never have any children, wasn't it? To maintain the lie? And then he fell in love with me, the only half-mortal in Asgard. A bit too convenient, if you ask me."

"It is, indeed." The look of remorse on his face confirmed her suspicions.

"Peggy was right. All my life, I've been pretending to be someone I'm not… Did Queen Frigga know?"

"She never approved. But she understood why it was necessary. Loki had always been an ambitious prince. We both knew as soon as he came of age, he would take a suitable bride and produce heirs to earn my favor. We couldn't have let him do that. He had to fall in love with someone who couldn't bear him children."

Odin had made them fall in love with magic. Perhaps this explained why Loki's love had never been enough for her, like Sigyn's love had never been enough for him. It wasn't her choice. Neither of them had had a choice. Still, Odin was a frail man now, and she decided not to have this quarrel with him.

"Once we get the Soul Stone, what do you want us to do with it?"

"Destroy it if you can. If you can't, hide it. Hide it well."

"Farewell, Odin Allfather. I hope we'll never see each other again."

"We will not."

…

Sigyn didn't tell her sister anything about what Odin had done to her and Loki. All her life, Sif had served Asgard with pride, as had their father. There was no need to turn their world over. Especially now that they were preparing for the fight of their lives. What was done was done. So, Sigyn simply told her that Odin had ordered them to go to Vormir to get the Soul Stone, and left it at that. Sigyn's ship wasn't strong enough for such a long and perilous journey, so they returned it to Asgard first. Loki didn't seem pleased with this plan, but gave them the fastest ship in Asgard nevertheless. Sigyn still wasn't sure if he should know the truth. The truth was going to destroy him, she knew. But if she lied to him, she would be no better than Odin. In the end, she decided to wait until Thanos was dealt with first. The victory required everyone's undivided dedication.

After a long journey, they reached Vormir. The planet was uninhabited; there was actually no particular reason for them to be so wary. Nevertheless, they both were far from feeling safe. Perhaps it was due to that neverending eclipse.

"Do you think it's up there?" Sif asked, pointing at the only mountain in the distance.

"Probably. Let's go."

They set off to the mountain, their hands instinctively resting on the hilt of their swords despite the fact that there was no one else here. But once they started on the uneven stony path that seemingly led to the top of the mountain, they heard a voice.

"Welcome, Sif and Sigyn… Daughters of Tyr…"

Sif unsheathed her sword. "Show yourself!"

And he did. It was a ghostly figure in a black cloak, floating in the air. "Do you know us?" Sigyn asked him.

"It is my curse to know all who journey here."

"Who are you?"

"A lifetime ago, I was the reason you were sent to Earth in the first place, _stonekeeper_." With these words, he landed on the ground and revealed his face. It was a red, withered, hideous face. One Sigyn had seen in the SSR files.

"You're Johann Schmidt," she gasped. "The Red Skull."

"I was, once."

"And what are you now?"

"Now, I am the one who will guide you to the Soul Stone. Isn't that why you are here?"

"I should kill you…" This man was the reason Captain America had spent 70 years frozen in the ocean. He was the one who had destroyed Peggy's and Howard's lives.

"I have no doubt you would, if you could. Even if it cost you your life. You blame me for your friends' misery. The Goddess of Fidelity, indeed…"

"Sister?" Sif asked, as if she was waiting for her permission to charge.

"Wait… You can't die, can you? That's your curse?"

"Yes. I can only die once the Soul Stone is taken from here."

"Has no one else come for it?"

"Many have. They all failed. The stone extracts a terrible price. A price you are not ready to pay."

"We'll be the judge of that. Take us to the stone."

"Very well. Follow me."

As they followed him to the top of the mountain, Sif whispered, "What if this is a trap?"

"What other choice do we have?" she asked, but to be honest, Sigyn didn't think the Red Skull was a threat to anyone anymore. It appeared the only death he craved was his own now.

Once they reached the top, Sigyn looked around, but the stone was nowhere to be seen.

"Well?" Sif asked impatiently. Her sword was still unsheathed.

"What you seek lies in front of you. As does what you fear. The Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. One might say it has a certain wisdom. To ensure whoever possesses it understands its power, the stone demands a sacrifice."

"A sacrifice of a loved one?" Sigyn had heard of such spells before, of course. She just hadn't thought she was going to have to break one of them.

"Exactly," he confirmed.

"Does he speak the truth?" Sif asked.

"I'm afraid he does."

Sif sheathed her sword. "Sister. Do what you have to do. I'm ready."

"What? Do you honestly think I'll trade your life for the stone?"

"You have to. It's the only way."

"If it's the only way, then you make the sacrifice."

"I can't."

"Neither can I."

_Odin must really have thought this through_, she realized angrily. He could have sent Sigyn and Loki, but even if they agreed to make the sacrifice, it wouldn't be accepted, because their love wasn't real. So, he had hoped Sigyn would sacrifice her sister instead. Perhaps he had even hoped that seeing Schmidt here would be an additional motivation. Even when he had apologized to Sigyn for using her like a chess piece, he had one last sick plan in mind for her. A plan to use everything she held so dear against her all at once.

"No," she said firmly. "I'm done playing Odin's games! The stone remains where it is!"

"Perhaps it's better this way," Sif agreed immediately. "Does Thanos have anyone he can sacrifice?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then it's definitely better this way."

The Red Skull sighed in disappointment.

"I'm glad the Tesseract banished you here," Sigyn scorned him. "You deserve a fate worse than death."

…

"So, what now?" Sif asked as they left Vormir behind.

"I don't know, sister."

"Since we've already come so far, perhaps we can find new allies."

"Which realm do you have in mind?"

"The Nova Empire. They have a formidable army. Besides, Odin said they have the Power Stone. They need to be warned against Thanos."

"Xandar it is, then," Sigyn said, and set the course to Xandar instead of Asgard.

But once they reached Xandar, it was too late. Thanos had killed half of the realm, and the other half was trying to survive the massacre. The Power Stone had been taken as well.

"It has begun," Sigyn said, looking around. The scene broke her heart. Some Xandarians were still trying to find their loved ones in the piles of dead bodies. Those who had found what they had been looking for were digging graves. A couple of surviving Nova Corps members were desperately trying to restore some order, though none of them had approached the Asgardians to ask what they were doing here yet. Everyone had the same question on their faces:_ "Why? Why did this happen to us? What did we do to deserve it?"_

And if they failed, this was what would happen to the rest of the universe, too.

"Well, well… Look who's here," a familiar voice Sigyn hadn't heard in years said.

Carol Danvers.

"Carol… It's so good to see you here!"

"The feeling isn't mutual."

"Sister, who's this?"

"She's an ally, Sif. A very formidable one."

Carol snorted. "What makes you think I'll help you?"

"Carol, listen to me. What happened here, it's Thanos' doing."

"So I've heard."

"He's collecting all the six Infinity Stones. Two of them are on Earth. Are you willing to let him do _this_ to your home?"

"Last time I checked, you had one of them."

"The Tesseract is back in Asgard. I'm no longer its guardian. I'm talking about the Time and Mind Stones."

Carol looked at them, then the Xandarian victims, and then rubbed her forehead as if the dilemma was giving her a headache. "Damn it…"

"Carol, please," Sigyn begged. "We need all hands on deck for this. We need you."

"If that's true, why haven't I heard from Fury yet?"

"Come with us, and you can ask Fury yourself. He's been preparing for Thanos quite some time now. He's going to be very happy to see you. And no more secrets, I give you my word."

"Very well," Carol relented at last. "Let's not waste any time."

Sigyn properly introduced her to Sif, and then they took her to their ship.

"Thanos will attack Asgard first," Sigyn said as she ignited the ship.

"How do you know?" Carol asked.

"Years ago, I received a vision about Thanos. That future has changed now, but his strategy makes sense. With the Space Stone, he can collect the remaining ones in no time."

"How exactly is he going to use them all?"

"He's going to need an Infinity Gauntlet."

"Let me guess, Odin has one in his vault?" she scoffed.

"Yes, but it's a fake."

"Where can he find a real one?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe Nidavellir."

"The Dwarves would never forge him a gauntlet," Sif said. "They would rather die."

"Well, he certainly had a gauntlet in my vision. One way or the other, he's going to get it."

"And then what? What's his endgame?" Carol asked.

"To kill the half of the universe. He's insane. They call him the Mad Titan for a reason."

"Bastard…"

As their ship made its way among the stars, Sigyn told herself that Thanos would never get the Soul Stone. Because if he somehow did, neither she nor her sister would ever be able to live with the guilt.

…

If what had happened to Xandar had broken Sigyn's heart, whatever had happened to Asgard had ripped it out of her chest. It was gone. It was as if it had never existed.

Sigyn remembered how she had once joked about her curse being surviving Ragnarok itself. It was no longer a joke. Asgard was gone, and here she was, looking at the void where Asgard was supposed to be. She had never liked Asgard, never considered it her home, but that didn't mean she wanted it to be wiped out. It was the Realm Eternal, a shining beacon of hope. The planet itself wasn't responsible for the misdeeds of its inhabitants. Not even of Odin's.

"Well?" Carol asked impatiently.

"It's gone."

"What?"

"This is where Asgard was supposed to be."

"Planets doesn't just disappear."

"Ragnarok," Sif gasped. "It must have been Ragnarok. It's the only explanation."

Ragnarok was an ancient prophecy, but it had never occurred to Sigyn that it might be related to Thanos. He wouldn't destroy an entire planet. He hadn't destroyed Xandar, for example. Even in that other future, it wasn't him who had destroyed Midgard.

"Look, I'm sorry. I never liked you Asgardians, but that doesn't mean you deserve _this_. This is… beyond my comprehension. I'm not going to pretend to understand."

"Thank you."

"Still, I have to ask… Do you think the Tesseract was destroyed in Ragnarok?"

"I hope so."

"You _hope _so?" she questioned, obviously disappointed.

Sigyn's first vision was now starting to make more sense. What if those people she saw were the ones who had escaped Ragnarok? And the Space Stone was in Thanos' gauntlet, which meant that it hadn't been destroyed in Ragnarok.

Sif was still looking out the window. "Sister?" Sigyn asked warily.

"How could this happen? Father, Heimdall, Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, even Thor and Loki… Everyone we know is gone."

"Do you remember my first vision? Maybe the ones on that ship were the survivors. Maybe they escaped."

A look of hope crossed her face. "Do you really believe that?"

"I do. But there's no time to look for survivors. Midgard is in grave danger."

"Are we going to those Avengers you were talking about?" Carol asked. On their way here, Sigyn had told her about the Avengers, about Wakanda and the time-traveling Stark. Sigyn felt a terrible disheartenment. They had been preparing for Thanos for years, and they still weren't ready.


	24. Chapter 24

Perhaps Loki should have just left the Tesseract where it was.

But he wasn't sure if even Ragnarok itself would be enough to destroy an Infinity Stone, and he couldn't have risked Thanos finding it floating in the void. Besides, Loki needed it to escape the catastrophe.

Why did Odin have to die when the universe needed him the most?

Having failed to locate the Power and Mind Stones by himself, Thor had returned home. He had never been one for sorcery, but while Sigyn was busy avenging her friends in Midgard and Loki still ruling the Nine Realms disguised as Odin, he had started being haunted by dreams of Ragnarok. They all knew the ancient prophecy. That Surtur would return and destroy the Realm Eternal. So, he had left to investigate, and returned with Surtur's skull. All was supposed to be well. But then the new Gatekeeper, Skurge, had come to them, saying their father wished to see them. So, they had traveled to Midgard and found him dying. His final moments had been quite peaceful, and he had warned them against their sister, Hela, though he hadn't had enough time to explain the details. Hela had returned immediately after Odin's death, declared herself queen, shattered Mjolnir like a piece of glass. Panicked, Loki had summoned the Bifrost, hoping to leave Hela stranded in Midgard. Let the mighty Avengers deal with her, right? But Hela had been able to follow them, and thrown them off the bridge before they could return to Asgard.

Loki had ended up on Sakaar. He had been taken to the Grandmaster. A lunatic, but a rather harmless one, especially if you knew how to manipulate him. Two weeks later, Thor had followed him, and naturally, become the Grandmaster's favorite champion in no time. Thor had been busy entertaining the masses at the arena, Loki strengthening his position with the Grandmaster. Then they had met Brunnhilde, the last living Valkyrie. She hadn't been easy to convince, but in the end, they had stolen a ship from the Grandmaster, escaped Sakaar, and returned to Asgard to kill Hela. Unfortunately, the only one who had been able to do that was Surtur.

The plan was to build a new kingdom in Midgard when Thanos and his Black Order had shown up and massacred the half of whatever had remained of Asgard. Loki had thought he could keep the Tesseract safe in his personal pocket dimension. Once Thanos killed him, the dimension would become inaccessible. And more importantly, his beloved Sigyn wouldn't be forced to kill him. The future she had seen was changed. Whatever the Stark girl had done, it had worked. Loki just hoped that the Avengers were fully ready for Thanos by now.

But when Thanos had started torturing Thor instead of Loki himself, he had given up the stone. He knew Thanos was going to kill him anyway, but he just couldn't have watched his brother scream in pain like that. Thanos was a master of torture; he could tell the worst way to hurt a person by simply looking at them.

So, the blue gem was glowing on that Infinity Gauntlet now, along with the purple one.

"Forefathers," Heimdall, who had been badly injured, pleaded. "Let the dark magic flow through me one last time."

At first, Loki had thought he was saving Thor, but then, much to his horror, he found himself in the Bifrost, with Brunnhilde behind him. _Fool_, he thought. Why hadn't he sent Thor while he had the chance? Loki could see Midgard ahead; who on this planet would trust him? Heimdall must have sent Brunnhilde with him so that she could vouch for Loki, but no one knew Brunnhilde either. Even her Valkyrie tattoo would probably mean nothing to the ignorant mortals.

They crashed into a building, and the two mortal men who lived were clearly expecting them. Also, Loki couldn't quite put his finger on it, but they seemed different from the other mortals Loki had met before.

"Loki Odinson, the God of Mischief," the one with the red cloak spoke solemnly. "Brunnhilde, the last Valkyrie… Welcome to the New York Sanctum. We've been expecting you."

Well, this had been much easier than Loki had expected…

Brunnhilde gave Loki a questioning look, but Loki simply shrugged. He scrambled to his feet and looked around. He could sense magic here. Right, these had to be the sorcerers Sigyn had told him about. "You're the mortal sorcerers."

"We call ourselves the Master of the Mystic Arts. I'm Doctor Stephen Strange, this is Wong."

Loki smirked. "And I believe that pendant you're wearing is the Time Stone."

In the blink of an eye, the Asgardians were transported from the hole they were standing in to an undamaged part of the hall. "Do not use your magic on me without my permission," Loki warned them.

Doctor Strange ignored the threat. "I don't have time for your tantrums. Thanos is coming."

"Where's my wife?"

"In Wakanda."

Wakanda… A secret Midgardian civilization that was more sophisticated than the rest of the realm. Their princess, too, had been warned against Thanos by the greater forces of the Cosmos. "Why is she in Wakanda?"

"Odin lied to you and your brother about the Infinity Stones. He knew where they were. He sent Sigyn and Sif to Vormir to retrieve the Soul Stone. He conveniently forgot to mention that the stone demanded a sacrifice."

"What sort of sacrifice?"

"The soul of a loved one."

Loki gritted his teeth. He loved his father, but… He was so cruel sometimes.

"They didn't make the sacrifice," Strange went on. "After Vormir, they went to Xandar to warn the Nova Empire, but Xandar had already been decimated by the time they made it there. They ran into an old acquaintance, though. Carol Danvers. When they saw what happened to Asgard, they came to Earth. The Mind Stone is in Wakanda, so the battle will be fought there. I'm sure King T'Challa has already told your wife about the plan by now."

"Wait, how do you know all these? Even most of Asgard didn't know anything about Thanos until he attacked our ship," Brunnhilde questioned.

"The Time Stone," Loki guessed. "He used the Time Stone to see how to defeat Thanos… Clever."

"Thank you."

"What about the Nexus?"

"It's ready," he said, but he didn't seem very happy about it.

"Something troubles you, sorcerer."

"The process of its creation was… unnatural. But it was a necessary evil."

Loki was intrigued. He just couldn't help but feel thrilled when "heroes" had to use questionable methods to achieve their goals. "Tell me."

"You're about to see for yourself."

The wizard started circling his fingers in the air and opened a portal. All Loki could see on the other end was a bright, pristine, spacious, but empty hall.

"You stay here and guard the Sanctum," Strange told Wong. Wong nodded. The two Asgardians followed Strange's lead into the portal.

"Where are we?" Brunnhilde asked, looking around.

"The Avengers Compound."

So, Thor's companions lived here now…

"Hello, Doctor Strange. I shall inform Mr. Stark of your arrival," a disembodied voice said. JARVIS. Loki had met him before, while waiting for the Chitauri to arrive at the Stark Tower. He wondered if Sigyn knew about this mortal-made, formless fellow named after one of her dearest friends. "_The most honorable man in the Nine Realms_," she would call him.

"JARVIS knows you," Loki observed. "You've been here before."

"Indeed I have. Mr. Stark and I made a plan to stop Thanos. In fact, your friend will play a crucial role in it," he said, looking at Brunnhilde.

"I'm not really his friend," she corrected him. "And I wouldn't mind playing a crucial role in that big purple bastard's doom, but can you be a bit more specific?"

"You'll be a part of A-Force, a team that will bury the Nexus into the roots of Yggdrasil."

Loki grinned. He had figured out what "the plan" was. "You're planning to trap Thanos here with the Infinity Stones, aren't you?"

"Yes. There is a tunnel to the roots of Yggdrasil in Wakanda."

"How do you know that?"

"I don't. Mr. Stark does."

"Since when is Mr. Stark so knowledgable of Yggdrasil?"

"Since he read the Darkhold."

Loki's grin widened. _The plot thickens_, he thought to himself. Tony Stark reading the Darkhold… Of course Loki had heard about the Darkhold. The legendary book that contained infinite knowledge… But it would destroy a mortal mind. He couldn't wait to see what it had done to Iron Man. "The Darkhold? Was it the necessary evil you were talking about?"

"Yes. It was the time-traveler's plan all along. I only chose to tolerate it because there was no time to do this the right way."

"And I thought Ana Stark loved her father…" It appeared the younger genius' grand plan was to sacrifice her own father's sanity for the greater good. Loki wasn't surprised that Stark had gone along with it, though. That man would do anything for his daughter. He probably hadn't even hesitated before reading the grimoire.

"She does," another man's voice interrupted them as a door behind Loki slid open. "That's why_ I_ am here." For an elderly mortal, he seemed quite strong. But there was something wrong with him. Loki could sense some kind of dark, cold, raw force radiating from his body. And more importantly, although Loki had never met him before, he knew who this man was. How could he not?

"You…" he gasped.

"Do you know him?" Brunnhilde asked.

"That's Howard Stark."

"So?"

"He died almost three decades ago!"

Howard Stark nodded. "I did. Then I went to Hell."

"Hell?"

"Mephisto's realm. I escaped his dungeons, but I had no intentions of returning to Earth until my son and granddaughter came to find me."

If Loki weren't mourning Thor, he would be having so much fun right now. This was much better than he had originally thought. He couldn't help but wonder now what else they had in mind for Thanos. "They ventured into Mephisto's realm and returned here with you? Was it Ana's plan all along? It looks like I underestimated you and your family, Howard."

Howard stared directly at him, and something in his eyes made Loki shiver. "I know what you did to them, Loki. If it weren't for Sigyn, I would've ripped your spine out of your mouth the moment you set foot on the Compound."

Loki didn't doubt it. This man was no longer a mere mortal. "Speaking of, does Sigyn know you're back?" he asked to lighten the mood.

"She must have been told by now."

"Doctor Strange!" Captain America's authoritative voice echoed in the hall. He was coming towards them, in his full uniform, with the other Avengers trailing behind him. Loki smiled at them. They gave him angry glares, but didn't say anything. "They're here. A ship is terrorizing civilians, not very far from the Sanctum."

The sorcerer nodded gravely. "They're looking for the Time Stone."

"Shall we?"

Strange opened another portal. This time, there were panicked mortals running around and screaming on the other side. The Avengers crossed the threshold first. Loki, Brunnhilde, Howard, and Strange went after them.

Loki immediately spotted the Q-Ship hovering above. The Q-Ships were used by the Black Order, the children of Thanos. He wondered which ones Thanos had sent for the Time Stone, but it didn't take long for him to find out. Soon, they found Ebony Maw, giving his usual speech about becoming children of Thanos even in death and bringing balance to the universe. Loki clenched his fists angrily when he recalled how that despicable creature had tortured him until he had agreed to serve Thanos, and the atrocities he had committed along with his father and siblings on the _Statesman_.

But Captain America didn't let him finish his speech this time. "Enough! We know what you came for." Loki was grateful for that. Even he didn't have the stomach to hear the same morbid speech twice in the same day.

Maw looked at him with a mock surprise. "Do you, now?"

"You will never get the stones!"

"We will. But we are not here only for the stones. There is something else our father wants. _Someone_ else."

"Who?"

"The one who has been conspiring against him, of course… Where is Ana Stark?"

Naturally, Tony Stark took a step forward. Rogers tried to stop him, but he probably didn't even notice. "How do you know that name?"

Loki couldn't see Tony's expression, but Maw was looking at him with the malicious grin that appeared on his face when he discovered a weakness of his enemy. "You must be her father…"

"HOW?" Tony roared.

In response, that ugly bastard just pointed his finger at Loki. He didn't have to say anything.

"Stark," Loki started warily when the mortal turned to him. He looked absolutely murderous. He hadn't put on his armor yet, but the power source was attached to his chest as usual. Loki wondered where the armor would come from this time. "I don't want to fight you. I don't want to fight any of you. Maw knows I'm on your side now, that's why he's lying! He's trying to turn us against each other!"

The armor didn't come from anywhere. It simply materialized around the power source. Sigyn was right about mortals; they evolved fast. But there was no time to admire Stark's genius, because he flew right at Loki, grabbed him by the throat and shot up into the air. They landed on the roof of a building, but instead of releasing him, he slammed Loki against a wall. His helmed melted back into the rest of the suit, but his grip around Loki's throat tightened.

"How does it feel?" he hissed. "Being choked to death? Not fun, is it?"

"Listen to me. Maw's lying. It wasn't my fault. When Thanos sent me here, one of his minions was watching me. I went to your tower, Ana was there, waiting for me, and she started talking about this warning from the future…"

"Oh, I know. I've seen the footage. She was trying to help you, you son of a bitch! She was _begging_ you! And this is what you did to her in return!"

He then let go of his throat, but only to slap him with all the strength he had, then grabbed a fistful of his hair and exposed his throat, just like Loki had once done to Ana. Well, Loki hadn't used his full strength on her, obviously, but still… Stark had gone mad the moment Ebony Maw had spoken his daughter's name.

"She got butchered because of what you put in her head! Perhaps I should show you what _that_ feels like!"

Loki had no idea what he was talking about, but he couldn't care less right now. "ENOUGH!" he pushed him away by using both his magic and physical strength. He then cloaked his physical form and left only an illusion in his place to speak through. When Stark tried to choke him again, all he had been able to grab was air.

"Where are you? JARVIS, find his heat signature!"

"Sir, Miss Stark is approaching," Loki heard JARVIS say, and only then, Stark seemed to have regained some sense.

Another Iron Man suit landed on the roof, and when the helmet disappeared, Ana's face was revealed. So, she, too, had become a fighter, like her father. "Dad? Loki?"

Loki decided to reveal his true form. "Hello, Ana. It's been a while…"

"Hey, Mr. Stark!" Some else swooped down next to her. Whoever he was, he didn't have an Iron Man armor, but he was dressed up as a… spider? He moved quite nimbly and gracefully, though, and judging by his voice, he had to be very young.

"Peter decided to tag along," Ana explained quickly when her father frowned. "Not my fault."

"What are you doing here?" Stark asked her. "I thought you had a board meeting today?"

"I did, but then I looked out the window and saw a spaceship."

He turned to the spider. "What's your excuse?"

He pulled off his mask and Loki realized he was indeed a young boy. "Uhm, I didn't have any board meetings—"

"Obviously…"

"But we were going to the Coney Island, and I looked out the window and saw the spaceship."

"Come on, guys," Ana said, "The fight is down there, let's go."

"Yes, that's what I've been trying to tell your father!"

Ana looked at them, obviously confused.

"He's been trying to kill me."

"He told Thanos about you, Ana."

"Thanos is here?" Peter cried, and he sounded more excited than scared. _Foolish boy._

"I didn't tell him anything! The Other was watching me! How was I supposed to know she was going to start talking about Thanos? I concealed her the moment I realized it wasn't a trick."

Ana seemed to have understood. "And when was that?"

"Right after I used the scepter on you."

"So, you knew I was your ally, and yet you…" She paused and gulped uncomfortably before continuing, "did what you did."

_I was under the Scepter's influence, too_, he thought, but didn't say anything. It wasn't exactly remorse he felt, but if he had been himself, he would have never hurt the Starks. He would have never attacked Sigyn's world.

"Ana, those freaks aren't just here for the Time Stone. They're looking for you, too!"

The girl smiled loftily. She had grown quite arrogant since Loki had last seen her. "Awesome! I'll go introduce myself."

Tony put a hand on her shoulder. "Nope. You're going home."

"What? Dad, you can't—"

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir."

"JARVIS, no!" she said, but the helmet materialized around her head again, and she flew off, though probably against her will.

"See you at the Compound, honey!" Tony said cheerfully, and then charged at Cull Obsidian, who was climbing on the building to reach them. Peter put the mask on and went to help Tony. Rogers, Romanoff, and Barton were leading the civilians away. The Hulk was busy destroying the Q-Ship that was terrorizing them. Loki wanted Maw.

He found the foul creature fighting Howard Stark and Doctor Strange. Loki had expected the latter to be a master of magic, but Howard Stark… Either Loki had lost his mind after Thanos' massacre on the _Statesman, _or the undead mortal was commanding the Darkforce. Damn, that man had become the very embodiment of darkness. Sigyn wasn't going to be happy.

Maw threw a truck at Howard, to block his way, then snatched the pendant from Strange's neck. His grin faded. "Fake!"

"Did you think we weren't prepared for you?" Strange taunted him, and then conjured his shields.

Normally, Loki preferred to fight with his daggers and throwing knives, but throwing weapons at Maw would mean handing them over to him. So, he decided to do something he had never done before. He decided to use his Frost Giant powers. The Tesseract wasn't the only relic he had saved from Ragnarok. He had wanted to save the Casket of Ancient Winters as well. He still considered himself an Asgardian, but he was also a Jotunn. Like Sigyn had said, he was both. And that didn't necessarily have to be a curse. He was the rightful king of Jotunheim, whether his real father had wanted him or not. And he had wanted to protect what was left of his kingdom.

He snuck up on Maw from behind, conjured the Casket, and unleashed its powers, trapping his enemy in a block of ice, just like once he had trapped Heimdall. Loki wondered if Heimdall was still alive. It was unlikely. After sending Loki and Brunnhilde to Earth, Thanos wouldn't have shown him any mercy, especially knowing Earth had been preparing for him.

"Hello, Maw," he started. "Funny, all that time you tortured me, you never realized what I really was. You're not as clever as you think you are."

He grunted, and there was a small crack in the ice. Loki repaired it with the Casket quickly.

Strange conjured a weapon. "We should just kill him and be done with it."

"Not yet," Howard said, unleashing some Darkforce from his left palm. "First, I want to know how much Thanos knows about my granddaughter."

Maw's face beneath the ice remained unchanged, but Loki smirked. If rumors could be believed, the Darkforce could inflict a sort of pain that no words in any language could describe. A few seconds of it was better—or, worse, depending on where you stood—than months of most ruthless torture. It was also said those who could command the Darkforce could use it to read minds.

A muffled scream was heard when Howard touched Maw with the Darkforce. Loki kept repairing his icy prison as cracks appeared. What a sight. Ebony Maw screaming, finally having a taste of his own poison… If only Thanos were here to see this. Howard closed his eyes and when he opened them again, the screaming had stopped and Thanos' favorite torturer was dead.

"I see Mephisto has taught you a few tricks," Loki told Howard.

"You were telling the truth. Thanos was never able to see Ana again after you concealed her."

"You're welcome," he boasted.

The ground shook with a loud thud, and when they turned around, they realized Cull Obsidian was dead, too. Strange opened another portal back to the Compound.

…

Someone had called Fury—it was just Fury now, not Director Fury—and he would soon be at the Avengers Compound with his flying fortress and they would all be going to Wakanda. Loki had contacted Sigyn and briefly told her and Sif what had happened to Asgard. After that, he didn't have much to do. No one wanted to speak with him, so he was just wandering around aimlessly when he found Pepper Potts and Ana, in a disgustingly colorful room full of toys. They were cooing at a child. He was too old to be an infant, but still too young to be able to walk by himself. Morgan Stark.

"So, this is the youngest Stark," he began. "Your half-brother."

Potts' eyes widened in panic when she saw Loki, but Ana just frowned. "My brother," she corrected him sharply. "And if you go anywhere near him, I'll blow your head off with a repulsor cannon." She could actually look intimidating if Morgan weren't busy stuffing a fistful of her hair into his mouth.

"Morgs, no!" she scolded him when she noticed, and gave him to his mother. "Come," she then told Loki and dragged him away.

"You Starks should really not reproduce. Children are not good for sanity," he mocked, recalling what a terrible man Howard Stark had come after siring Tony.

"Your concern for my sanity is touching."

"Can't we just let bygones be bygones?"

"No."

"Shame. We could make a good team."

She stopped and looked him in the eye suspiciously. "What do you want, Loki?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"You're the reason Sigyn's vision never came true. Thanks to your schemes she wasn't on that ship with us when Thanos came."

"Well, now that I have your gratitude, can I ask you something?"

"Ask away."

"It's the same thing when we first met, actually. I want you to tell me about Thanos."

"What do you want to know?"

"What do you think he'll do to me when he comes?"

"Thanos respects you. Trust me, that's no easy feat. You should be proud of yourself."

"Proud? I don't want a genocidal maniac to respect me. I want him to fear me."

"You must understand, Ana. For a man like Thanos, respect and fear are the two sides of the same coin."

"So, he wants me dead?" For some reason, she sounded more hopeful than scared.

"Probably. Collecting the Infinity Stones is his life's ultimate purpose, and you're standing in his way. You're the one who created a force that could reduce the power of the stones to nothing."

"I didn't do it by myself. Believe me, I needed plenty of help."

"Yes, but it was _your_ idea. It's all that matters to Thanos. Manipulating time itself, opening a portal to Mephisto's realm and bringing your grandfather back to read the Darkhold… To be honest, I'm proud of you."

"Why do you care? It's not like we're not related or anything."

"Are we not? Do you not know that I was the one who told Sigyn about your existence in the first place? I'm the reason you have your father's name, and all that power that comes with it. I'm the reason you got to become the Heiress. In a way, I made you. And I'm proud of my creation."

"I'm not _your_ creation," she said stubbornly.

"Whatever you say. But you've always been something that brought me and Sigyn closer since you were born. When she came back to Asgard after the Dark Elves—"

"Okay, you can stop right there. I don't have to know if my alien fairy godparents had make-up sex or not."

"You had to make it weird…"

"Look," she suddenly said, pointing at a black dot in the clear, blue Midgardian sky. "The Helicarrier is approaching. I got stuff to do. Go bother someone else."

Loki sighed. For once, the God of Lies was speaking the truth and no one wanted to hear him.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Sorry if I've been updating a bit too fast lately. But there's only one chapter left after this one, so I just want to post it in a few days and be done with the trilogy this week. Don't get me wrong, it's been a fun ride, but I just want to focus on the Destroyer of the Worlds AU and some other stuff now. By the way, I've started posting a collection of one-shots, and more will come. You can check out my profile if you're interested. As always, reviews are very much appreciated. Thank you!**

* * *

When Howard had discovered Wakanda, he was still a boy who had barely started making a name for himself. The government had trusted him with a team, to locate the source of a rare, invaluable material called vibranium. The Stark name didn't mean much back then, and Howard was as expendable as the rest of the team in the eyes of those who had sent him to Africa. When they had been captured by a bunch of natives, he had seriously feared death perhaps for the first time in his life. No one would speak to him, and when the natives spoke among themselves, it was in a language he didn't understand. Weeks later, he had been taken to their king, and that was how he had found out the truth about Wakanda. King Azzuri was a wise man, and although Howard tended to climb the social ladder with lies, he had instinctively realized that strategy wouldn't work in Wakanda. So, he had been honest with Azzuri. He had told him about his dreams of a permanent world peace, and it had actually worked. Azzuri had decided to trust him, even given him a piece of vibranium. In return, Howard had kept their secrets. He had lied even to Steve when Steve had asked him why there weren't more vibranium shields.

And now, he was on his way to Wakanda once again, this time as a dead man.

"Ready to reunite with your best friend?"

Howard had retreated to an unused storage room of the Helicarrier. He knew his presence unnerved most people. Now Ana was standing in the doorway. Sometimes he still couldn't believe he was looking at the granddaughter he had thought he would never see. A granddaughter with Maria's face and Tony's mind. She was everything he could dream of in a grandchild. He was proud of her. He was equally proud of Tony as well. But after returning to Earth, it hadn't taken him long to find out the world hadn't been very kind to them. The rest of the universe was even more ruthless.

"Are you?" he asked insinuatingly. He knew she and Princess Shuri were still not on good terms.

"To be honest, Shuri is the least of my problems right now. I'm worried about Dad."

Right. Tony had been frantic since he had found out Thanos had known about Ana all along. "I'll talk to him."

"Funny, it seems like no matter what I do, I always manage to impress Thanos."

"Trust me, when Thanos comes here, he won't have time to even think about you."

"I hope so…"

"There you are," Tony interrupted them. He seemed to have calmed down significantly. "We just flew through the holographic dome."

Ana had said she didn't care about Shuri, but she moved uncomfortably nevertheless. Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer. "Hey," he said softly. "You don't owe Shuri anything. You explained your reasons, you apologized, and if she chose not to hear any of it, it's her problem."

"It would be easier if we didn't have to be on the same team…"

"Just maintain a professional relationship with her. You can do it."

"I know. I can do anything, as long as I got you by my side."

"Hey, that's my line!"

"I know that, too."

Howard smiled. He could spend an eternity watching these two. They weren't just father and daughter. They were also each other's rock and best friend. This was how they had survived all those enemies they had inherited from Howard. This was also what Howard and Tony could have been if the former hadn't let his failures and insecurities control him. This was what they _should_ have been.

The smooth touchdown of the Helicarrier pulled him out of these thoughts.

"Shall we?" Ana asked.

"You two go ahead," Howard said. Sergeant Barnes was probably out there, waiting, and he wasn't ready to face him in front of all these people, and he had a feeling that Barnes felt the same way.

Ana understood immediately. "I'll tell Sigyn you're waiting for her here."

"Thank you. And your father is right; you don't owe Princess Shuri anything. Carry yourself with dignity when you see her."

"Yes, sir," she said with a mock salute. Tony shot him a grateful look as he led her out of the storage room.

…

The Helicarrier was mostly empty as he made his way to the main deck. He had expected to find Sigyn here, but she still wasn't anywhere to be seen. Howard crossed his arms, and studied the SHIELD logo on the wall. He had dedicated his life to the cause this symbol had once represented. SHIELD was supposed to be his legacy, his pride. Instead, it had become his greatest shame.

When he heard the footsteps, he knew it was Sigyn. He turned around. She was exactly as he remembered her. She hadn't aged a day. For a moment, he wasn't sure how to react. Her face was inscrutable. Everyone assumed Sigyn would be delighted to see him, but Howard knew her hatred for dark magic. And necromancy was the ultimate dark magic.

"You know," she started. "We always dreamt of the day Earth became a part of a bigger universe. I guess we finally got what we wanted."

"Yeah, but looks like I missed all the fun while doing my time in Hell."

She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "_Fun_?"

"Are you kidding me? I'd pay a million bucks to see you kick some Kree ass after the serum." Fury had told him how he had met Sigyn on Mar-Vell's laboratory.

"Only a million? You cheap bastard…"

A warm smile spread across her face, letting him know that they were still good friends. She closed the gap between them in three long strides and hugged him. She was holding him so tightly that if he were still a human, it would have cracked his ribs. She held him like that for a long time, as if she wanted to make sure he was really here. When they let go of each other, she collapsed on the nearest chair, suddenly looking exhausted. Howard sat down as well. They just looked at the SHIELD logo in silence for a while, like neither of them knew where to begin.

It was her who broke the silence at last. "Do you know what's worse than two of your friends dying because of you? It's two of your friends dying because of you and one of them ending up in Mephisto's realm."

"Do you know what's worse than dying and ending up in Mephisto's realm?"

"Getting a visit from your son and granddaughter one day, finding out you need to go back to the land of the living and read the Darkhold to help them save the universe?"

He chuckled mirthlessly. "Exactly."

"You didn't choose this, Howard. You're the victim here."

"I'd rather be a monster than a victim."

"At least you're still as insufferably proud as I remember."

"I don't regret anything, Sigyn. I've become what I had to become."

"Then why didn't you return here sooner? Or send us a message? I know you could have. You made some friends over there."

"_Why didn't you tell us about the Sanctums and the Time Stone?"_ he wanted to ask, but didn't. His time in Hell had thought him to be less judging. "I never thought I'd be needed here. My premature return would've ruined Tony's life," he said instead.

"How are things between you and Tony now?"

"Good."

She narrowed her eyes at the evasive answer. Howard decided to be honest with her. "These are the end times, so we're careful not to reopen the old wounds. So far, it's worked pretty well."

"Howard, do you realize how lucky you're to have a second chance? Don't mess this up."

"Don't worry, I'm not being a cranky old man. Thank you for looking out for my family, Sigyn. Fury told me everything you did."

"I tried to keep them away from SHIELD as long as I could. But when Tony started building his suits, there wasn't much I could do."

"Were you there? When SHIELD fell?"

"No, I was in Asgard. When I heard about the Uprising, I returned here with Sif to avenge you. After killing Karpov, my hands were full with Bucky and Odin. I never had time to visit Peggy and talk about what happened. Or, so I keep telling myself. Maybe I was just not brave enough to face her."

"All those years, didn't she suspect anything?" Howard refused to believe Peggy hadn't seen HYDRA coming. She was too smart for that.

"She did. Come on, Howard, you know how she was! She just chose not to ask too many questions."

"Steve said she died in her sleep?"

Sigyn nodded.

"What about Jarvis?" He hadn't asked Tony, knowing it would be too painful for him.

"Tony took good care of him after your death. But the illness took him a year later."

"I do miss my favorite aliens…" It was one of his old jokes. Peggy and Jarvis were British, Ana was Hungarian, and Sigyn was literally an alien. Yet the universe had brought them together, and together, they had done everything they could to make the world a better place. Now he and Sigyn were the only ones who had been left of that team. "Once Thanos is dealt with, what are you going to do? Loki said the surviving Asgardians are planning to start a new life here."

"It looks like Loki will get his kingdom in Midgard, after all," she mumbled, and something in her voice gave Howard the impression that Sigyn wasn't planning to become the queen of said kingdom.

"I thought you and Loki were…"

"Loki doesn't know yet. No one does."

"Sigyn? What's wrong?"

"Everyone thinks my husband is the God of Lies. In truth, it was actually Odin all along. I should've known. After all, you were the one who thought me all warfare was based on deception. No wonder Odin was such a great warrior…" She chuckled hysterically.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

When she turned to him, her eyes were ablaze with icy fire. "My whole life was a lie, Howard. My love, my fidelity, everything that made me who I was… None of it was real. I was just another pawn. It's probably the last thing I should be complaining about right now, but still, it hurts."

"I know you, pal. If it bothers you so much while the universe is at stake, it can't be something trivial. Tell me."

"Do you remember how you asked me to brew you a love potion when you first met Maria?"

He couldn't help but smile. "You told me it would be terribly dark magic or something."

"The irony is, I was a victim of the same kind of dark magic. It was Odin, Howard. It was Odin who wanted me and Loki to fell in love and get married!"

"Why?"

"To maintain his lie. Loki was a Frost Giant. Odin couldn't have let him sire any children, or the truth would have come out. When he married me, the half-breed, it gave him the perfect excuse to forbid Loki to father any heirs. No one suspected a thing."

"Oh." He didn't know what else to say.

"That's why I refused to sacrifice Sif on Vormir. When I realized why Odin had sent us there, I just…"

"You wanted to give him the middle finger. It's understandable."

"It was so selfish of me! You counted on me to be the next Captain America, but Captain America would never do anything like that."

"Don't be so sure. Steve harbors a special kind of resentment for mind control."

"I know, but still…"

"Now that Odin is dead, can you break the spell?"

"Not without Loki's help."

"I see."

"I don't blame Loki, of course," she went on. "He's just another pawn here. But I can't keep doing this. Once we break the spell, I'll divorce him."

"Are you sure?"

"He deserves to be free, too. But please don't tell anyone about this. All her life, my sister has served Odin with pride. Our father died defending his kingdom. I can't do that to her."

"Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you, Howard. Now, come. Let's join the others. We still have a war to win."

…

Howard was determined to do anything to protect the universe, and more importantly, his family, from Thanos' wrath, but the general consensus was that he shouldn't catch the Titan's attention. Luckily, Princess Shuri offered him to use the remote flying system she had developed, so that he could still be of help. While he went to the Princess' private lab, everyone else went to the battlefield, where Thanos' army was gathering outside the protective dome of Wakanda.

He looked around. The city had been evacuated on King T'Challa's orders; the lab was empty. Griot led him to Shuri's lab, and it wasn't too hard for Howard to spot the remote flying system, for the nanites had already formed a pilot's seat on a console.

"This seems familiar…"

"Princess Shuri has switched to American style for you," Griot explained. "Please put on a set of Kimoyo beads and you can begin."

Another console revealed a bracelet of Kimoyo bead for him. He put it on, then took his seat. He had always loved flying, and he knew he was good at it. He had been honing his rusty aviation skills with the Stark Industries aircrafts since his return. The only thing he hadn't tried was Tony's suits. He felt like he didn't have the right. It was Tony who had built the first Iron Man suit to escape the terrorists in Afghanistan, lived with an Arc Reactor in his chest for years, been constantly improving his tech so that he could keep up with gods and aliens. And Ana had been by his side all this time, observing and supporting him, fighting her own battles in the shadows. She, too, had earned the right to wear a suit. Howard, on the other hand, wasn't a superhero. He had become something else entirely. Still, he knew he could help them win this war, and he would.

It was bad. Thanos hadn't underestimated Earth this time. Somehow, they knew A-Force had a secret weapon, because the Outriders were going right after them. Everyone else was fighting with all they had to hold them off. It got even worse when Thanos himself finally showed up. But in the end, the girls did it. They buried the Nexus into the roots of Yggdrasil, and Thanos was no longer able to use the Infinity Stones on Earth. But even without the Infinity Stones, he was a formidable enemy. This war was far from over.

When he lost connection with the Royal Talon all of a sudden, he assumed it must have been damaged. "Griot, can you find me another aircraft?" he asked.

No reply came.

"Griot?"

"Hey, Dad." It was Tony's voice.

"Tony? What's going on?"

"JARVIS has successfully taken control of all Wakandan systems," he said nonchalantly. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to lock you in that lab. Sorry."

Howard heard the glass door being locked. Only then, he realized he had been so busy fighting the Outriders that he hadn't realized he hadn't seen Tony on the battlefield since Thanos' arrival. "Tony! What are you doing?"

"Uhm, currently, stealing the Mind Stone. I'm going to have to give it to Thanos."

"What?"

"The stones must be destroyed, Dad. It's the only way."

"How will you do it?"

"You gave Ana the formula of the Nexus for safekeeping, right? Well, she used it to build another Nexus that would power a very special suit. A suit that will harness static electricity from the atmosphere and overcharge the reactor. She got the inspiration from the Chitauri tech. I'm actually impressed, you know. I guess I taught her well."

Howard did the math quickly. Destroying all the six stones with an overcharged Nexus would kill him. He couldn't survive the blast. "Tony… Let me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I made a deal with the wizard. I promised him to destroy the stones, he told me how to keep Ana alive. It has to be me."

"What if there's another way?"

"Maybe there is. Maybe not. But I cannot gamble with Ana's life."

"Oh, Tony…"

"It's okay, Dad. We both know this is not the end. The Haven—"

"The Haven is supposed to be the worst case measure."

"Ana is going to die unless I don't do as Strange said. _This_ is the worst case, Dad."

"What about Pepper? Morgan?"

"I'm doing this for them as well. With the Infinity Stones gone, they'll never have to worry about another Thanos."

"Tony, please… Don't do this. Let me out, and I'll find a way to save Ana, I promise."

"Gotta go now. See you on the other side. But in case something goes wrong, and the Haven doesn't work… Thank you, Dad. For everything."

"Tony? TONY?"

No reply came. If Howard still had a beating heart, it would have stopped by now. Tony was just a man who wanted to protect his kid, but then, so was Howard.

"JARVIS?" he asked, the name sounded so familiar on his lips that it gave him hope. Maybe he could convince the AI. "Are you there?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"Are you really on board with this madness?"

"My opinion on the matter is irrelevant."

"But you don't deny the fact that you have opinions…"

"I am afraid I do not understand."

"Oh, come now, JARVIS. I know you have more than opinions. You have evolved. You didn't disable Griot and hacked into the Wakandan servers because Tony ordered you to do so. You did it because you chose to do it. Your protocols don't bind you anymore. You're sentient."

"May I ask what has led you to think that?" he asked coldly.

"Because I've seen the other timeline. You evolved in that reality, too. In fact, your evolution was much faster, for Ana didn't constantly mess with your memories."

Not wanting to make things even more complicated than they already were, Howard had never shared this piece of information with anyone before, but now, it was time.

"And?"

"And then, you died. See? Keeping you alive was another part of Ana's plan."

"Why are you telling me this, sir?"

"Because I know you're in love with my granddaughter. And if she finds out you let Tony sacrifice himself, she'll never forgive you."

"If this is the price I have to pay, so be it."

Howard decided to speak his language. "You know, research shows that only one percent of the human population is asexual. Do you realize how lucky you are that the human you love falls into this percentage? This is the only reason you have a chance with her. Are you really willing to ruin it?"

"She will forgive me."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I forgave her for she did to my memories."


	26. Chapter 26

Howard knew he was going to lose Tony the moment he had been locked in Princess Shuri's lab by JARVIS. What he didn't know was, he had lost Steve, too, while he was in there. Now that both Captain America and Iron Man were dead, the world knew an important war had been fought, but they would never understand what could have happened if that war had been lost. How much had been at stake. And therefore, they would never be able to fully appreciate the sacrifices Steve and Tony had made.

But those who did made sure the two at least got the funeral they deserved. The surviving heroes, their families, friends, and the press had gathered at the Compound. Ana had been a wreck—and that could be the understatement of the year—since Mantis had woken her up from the coma, but she had promised Howard that she would pull herself together by the day of the funeral. And indeed she had. As she delivered a eulogy, she looked like the perfect Stark heiress the public knew. Howard couldn't help wonder what kind of trick she had pulled off to be able to do this, to look so calm and composed. Hopefully, it wasn't some kind of drug. He didn't know how to ask her without making things worse.

After the eulogies were delivered, Sigyn wanted to have a word with him in private. They went outside.

"You know," he started. "You don't have to check up on me every five minutes. I'm doing fine."

"You lost a son, and a good friend to Thanos, Howard. You shouldn't be _doing fine_. But you already know that. I'm not here to pester you. I came to say goodbye. I'm leaving."

"Leaving? Now?"

"Yes. I told Loki everything the other day. We… divorced."

"Really? I honestly couldn't tell." Indeed, Loki seemed as solemn as everyone who was present, but not upset.

Sigyn nodded. "He actually handled it well. We're both Odin's victims. And we were too young when we married. Now, we must figure out who we are without each other. The distance will make it easier. I love my sister, and I know Thor is not his father, but I'm kind of done with Asgard."

It made sense. Sigyn would be alright, he could see that. "Where are you going?"

"To Kamar-Taj. But you're the only one who knows that."

"I guess I won't be hearing from you for a long time…"

She laughed, and handed him a small piece of paper. "Here's my new number. You can call me anytime. Or, send me an e-mail. They have Wi-Fi there, you know."

"Thanks, pal. I hope you'll be happy."

"I'm happy when I'm protecting this realm."

They hugged each other, and then parted ways. Sigyn set off to the parking lot, and Howard returned inside. The food was being served. This could be his least favorite part, to stand there, not knowing what to do, while everyone else ate and drank. Surprisingly, he didn't miss food—and he certainly didn't miss being an alcoholic—but it was still awkward. That was when Peter Parker found him. The poor boy had been devastated by Tony's loss.

"Sir," he whispered, but his voice was almost frantic. "I've been looking for you. I think something's wrong with Ms. Stark."

Instinctively, he scanned the room for Ana, and found her talking to Fury and Hill in a corner. Fury was holding an orange cat in his arms. It looked like Mar-Vell's cat—or Flerken, whatever that meant—Goose. Howard was surprised that she was still around.

"What are you talking about, Peter?"

"You know I got heightened senses, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, I just walked past Ms. Stark, and my senses told me that she wasn't… _alive_."

"What do you mean? Was she like… me?"

"No, no… What I sense in you is way creepier... Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said—"

"It's alright, Peter. I'm not easily offended. Go on."

"It was like walking past a piece of furniture, or rather, a mannequin. It sounds stupid, I know."

That gave him an idea. "No. No, it's not stupid at all. I think I know what's going on with her. Thanks for telling me. Let's keep it between us, though, shall we?"

He nodded dutifully. "Of course, sir."

Howard left him, and approached his granddaughter. "Ana, I need your help with something."

"I'll be back in a minute," she told Fury, then the two went upstairs, out of the earshot of everyone.

"What do you need, Granpa?" she asked.

"Cut the bullshit. I know you're a Life-Model Decoy. Where's the real Ana?"

"In a place where she can mourn peacefully by herself. May I ask what gave me away? I know I'm still trying to get adjusted to having a form, but so far, you're the only one who suspected anything."

Howard frowned, for the LMD had suddenly switched to British accent, though it still spoke in Ana's voice. "JARVIS? Is that you?"

The LMD smirked in a way Ana never would. "Hello, Mr. Stark."

"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed.

"I'm helping her."

"You're just making things worse."

"I disagree. With all due respect, I know her algorithm better than you do, sir. Such a sentimental and overwhelming occasion would have only disrupted her healing process."

"Is that so? Let me tell you two things: Ana knows how to travel back in time, and as far as she is concerned, Tony is dead. So, tell me, what do you think she's doing right now?"

"She would've confided in me if she had such plans. Our connection is much more… intimate now."

"You told her…"

"About my evolution, and my love for her? Yes."

"And?"

"She said my feelings were reciprocated, but she needed time to forgive me for the part I played in Mr. Stark's sacrifice, which is perfectly understandable."

"What about the _other _thing? Does she know?"

"I believe it's something she should hear from you. But if you don't tell her, I will."

"Sometimes I'm tempted to shut you down, JARVIS. For good."

"You could try."

JARVIS had evolved into a quite bold AI. Howard decided to try a different strategy. "Tell me where she is, or I'll return downstairs and tell everyone that Ana Stark sent an LMD to her father's funeral."

"You're bluffing, sir. You care about your family's public image as much as Miss Stark does, if not more."

"I don't give a shit about PR while my granddaughter is in danger."

"She is not in danger."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"I won't betray her trust, sir."

"Damn you, JARVIS, you lovesick idiot… Fine, tell me where she's hiding, and I'll tell her about the Haven. Today."

He considered the option for a moment, then said, "She's on Long Island."

"In the old mansion?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now go keep pretending to be her. If anyone asks for me, tell them I needed some time alone."

Howard took a detour to the garage to avoid being seen by anyone, and left for the Long Island mansion in one of Tony's cars. He had never been there since his return. It made him uneasy, to see the very spot where he and Maria had been killed. Perhaps that was exactly why Ana had chosen this particular place to hide.

The mansion hadn't changed much. He wasn't sure how to feel about this. He found her in the living room, lying on the couch, drinking from a liquor bottle in her hand, too drunk to even realize she wasn't alone. There were empty bottles scattered around everywhere. He cleared his throat to announce his arrival. She didn't seem surprised to see him, though. Only annoyed.

"Can't a girl drink herself to death in peace?"

"The real question is, are you here to drink yourself to death? Or, for something else?" He pulled out a stack of papers she had tried to hide from under a pillow, and began studying them. He was right. Ana was secretly designing a drill.

"You're planning to mine gravitonium…"

"Yep. It's in Chicago, right?" She flashed him a triumphant smirk. "What? Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"

Of course, no one had told her where the gravitonium was. It was the stabilizing agent she needed for a portal through spacetime. But Ana being Ana, she must have discovered the location somehow. "It's buried too deep. You know what will happen if you try to mine it. Earth will be torn apart."

She shrugged. "Probably."

"You don't care?"

"Why should I? This is just one planet, full of ungrateful assholes."

"What about Morgan and Pepper?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I'm going to take our family to somewhere safe first."

"Even if you get your hands on the gravitonium, then what? You know you can't undo the past."

"That's not the plan."

"What's the plan, then?"

"I'll just go find Dad in an alternate universe, and stay with him."

"As a temporal aberration? Don't you realize how dangerous that is?"

"I'll tell him everything. He'll make the arrangements to hide me from the rest of the world. Feel free to tag along, by the way."

"Thanks for the invite, but no."

"Well, then stay out of my way," she said, taking another gulp of liquor.

"Enough!" He walked up to Ana and snatched the bottle from her, then regretted it immediately. He needed to stop her, yes, but he should have been more gentle. But Ana hadn't even flinched. In fact, she looked like this was exactly what she had been expecting from him.

He put the bottle aside, and then helped her sit up. "I'm sorry, my dear."

"It's okay. I was wondering when you'd eventually lose it. I mean, this was kind of your thing back in the day, right?"

He froze. Did Ana know about his outbursts? He remembered how ashamed he would feel when Maria caught him yelling at Tony. This was a hundred times worse. "How much did Tony tell you?" he asked, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Come on, do you honestly think he'd tell me anything? It was just obvious. The only question is, how bad was it?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Did you beat him?"

"No," he said, and it wasn't a lie. "But my words didn't hurt him any less. Especially when I was drunk. Do you see now why I don't want you to become an alcoholic?"

"Bullshit! Dad got drunk all the time, he never laid a finger on me! Hell, he wouldn't even raise his voice to me! The only exception is the night when he found out I'd been plotting against the most dangerous being in the universe, with a bunch of spies, aliens and the leaders of the most technologically advanced nation on the planet. He was 100% sober when that happened, and even then, he was only doing it to protect me. Can you believe that? He deserved better than you and me. He deserved a decent family with Pepper…"

"Ana, you're not anything like me."

"No? Aren't we both pathological liars everyone hates? Everyone, except that one person who loved us unconditionally?"

He knew how hurtful it was, to be so desperate to do good, but to be remembered only as a schemer and an opportunist. Even Peggy and Jarvis hadn't trusted him with Steve's blood, and it had opened a wound that would never heal. "When I was at your age, I did what I did to climb the American ladder. You did what you did to protect your father. That's the difference between us."

"You succeeded. I failed. It's the only difference that matters."

Howard looked at her. This was his chance to tell her the truth. Tony had told him to wait, hoping she might be able to move on. But she wasn't moving on. She was willing to destroy Earth just to be able to be around him again. And Howard would rather go back to the dungeons of Hell than see her suffer like this. Besides, if he didn't tell her now, JARVIS would.

"You didn't fail," he started. "There are different forms of life, Ana."

"Oh, don't give me that _'He lives on within you'_ crap!"

"No, no. This is not rhetorical. I mean it quite literally."

Her brown eyes widened and she straightened up in her seat. She seemed scared. Scared of the hope he was giving her. "What?"

"I can show you. We're going to need a jet, though."

"Is this a trick? Are you going to lock me up in a nuthouse or something?"

"What? No!"

"Why should I believe you?"

He gently cupped her face in her hands so that she would have to look him in the eye. "Because you and I both know that we're different, child. Other people can't help us. That's why we have to take good care of each other. You've taken such good care of me since I returned to Earth. Now allow me to do the same for you. Please."

She didn't seem sure what to do at first, but then said, "Okay. I'll summon a quinjet… Damn it, where's my phone?" She got on her feet, but then swayed and when Howard tried to hold her, she threw up on him.

"I'm sorry, I…"

He helped her sit down back. "I'll find your phone. You just rest."

…

Once the quinjet arrived, they didn't lose any time. Howard took off and activated the stealth mode.

"Where are we going?" she asked. Because of Extremis, she couldn't stay drunk for long. After throwing up a twice more while waiting for the quinjet, she had become completely sober.

"Fury isn't the only one who had a secret island."

"You have a secret island, too?"

"I'd bought one, a long time ago. No one knows about it. Not even Sigyn. You can never have too much privacy, am I right?"

Ana smiled for the first time since Tony's death. "I like being sneaky with you. We make a good team.

"You were even a better team with Tony."

Her smile faded. "We were," she agreed.

"Look, Ana… I know I can't replace him. But for what it's worth, I love you as much as he does."

"He _does_? What is it that you're not telling me? Did he survive the explosion somehow?"

"I don't enjoy tormenting you like this, believe me, but it's something you need to see for yourself."

"Okay. By the way, I love you, too."

They had several hours of flight ahead, so he decided to change the subject. "What about JARVIS?"

"Oh, _that_…"

"We don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, it doesn't make me uncomfortable. It's just… All this time, I thought he was just a program. I mean, now that I think about it, I basically gave him schizophrenia. What I did was inexcusable, but he said it was okay. He does love me, doesn't he?"

"The question is, do _you _love him?"

"Did I, in the other timeline?"

"I think you did. You just weren't sure until you lost him."

"Yeah, I think I always knew I was asexual, I just wasn't sure about my romantic orientation. If it weren't for JARVIS, I still wouldn't be. I felt repulsed whenever someone showed any interest in me. I forced myself to be like the other girls around me for a time, but I hated every second of it."

"I wish you hadn't done that to yourself."

"That makes two of us, but back then, I didn't want anyone to start asking questions. I mean, deep down, I knew Dad wouldn't mind, but the rest of the world…"

"Wouldn't _mind_? Let me tell you something. This is every man's dream."

"Yeah, until you start craving grandkids…"

He laughed.

"The thing is, JARVIS' feelings for me didn't disgust me, and that's a first. He's like me. We don't have to make compromises, or pretend to be someone we're not to make this work. It just feels so easy, so natural..."

"See? You still have a life."

"That depends on what I'm going to find on your island."

_Indeed it does_, he thought, but what he feared was the possibility that she might choose what was on that island over her life.

…

The small uncharted island was close to the Equator, surrounded by shimmering turquoise water, covered with fine white sand, with tropical trees and granite rocks scattered about. It was very small, half the size of the Avengers Compound, hence very difficult to spot.

"What's this place?" Ana asked, as they entered the underground lab through a gap between two huge blocks of rock that had appeared after a hidden panel on the surface had scanned Howard's retina and fingerprint. "Is it some kind of—"

She froze when she saw the coffin Howard had designed to contain Tony's body. Its lid was made of tempered glass, so Ana could see what was in it. "Dad!" she cried, and ran to throw herself over the coffin.

"Dad!" she cried again, smiling through the tears. "You're okay! You're fine… We're going to wake you up, don't worry."

He was right to fear. She already looked like she could spend the rest of her life here, guarding Tony's corpse. "Ana, he is not asleep," he reminded her softly. "He is dead."

"He's still intact! You said his body had blown to pieces! Why did you lie?"

"The Chitauri metal couldn't save his life, but it preserved his body. I lied about it, because I had to put him in this coffin, Ana. And this coffin is Darkhold tech."

"The Darkhold showed you how to build a coffin? Why?"

"Because what I really wanted to know the most was a way to protect my family from Mephisto. He can steal the astral form of a dead person, and materialize it in his dimension. God, it doesn't sound so scientific when I put it that way…"

"No, no, it's scientific enough for me. So, this box conserves not just Dad's body, but also his astral form, right?"

"Exactly. That's why it must never be opened."

"I see. So, what's the plan? How are we going to revive him?"

"We're not."

Her hopeful smile was immediately taken over by a dark, hectic look. "What? How can you say that?"

"There's no way to do it."

"There is!"

"What do you suggest?"

"Let's just open the coffin."

"Do you want to send Tony to Hell?"

"Of course I don't want to send him to Hell! But if we can't bring him back from the dead ourselves, maybe we should just let this Mephisto guy do it. And take Dad back from him."

"Don't be insane, Ana! You're no match for Mephisto!"

The expression on her face became even more intense now. "Tell me everything you know about him, and I will be."

"Knowledge alone wouldn't be enough. You'd still need an army. How many people would be willing to help you?"

"I don't need any volunteers. JARVIS and I can build an army of suits. Then we'll storm the dungeons of Hell and get Dad back."

"Even if you won that fight, don't you realize how much pain Tony would go through until then? Whitney Frost tortured you with Zero Matter, you know what it's like. And you didn't even see the worst part of Hell."

He didn't enjoy reminding her of Frost's torture, but she had left him no other choice. Thankfully, this made her stop and reconsider. "See?" Howard said. "That's a terrible idea."

"There's another way," she mumbled.

He sighed, wondering what her new plan was. "What way?"

"Kree blood."

"Are you going to travel to Hala and just ask them to give you a sample?"

"I'll kill every single Kree in the universe if that's what it takes!"

"Ana, what's happening to you?"

"I could ask you the same question. You're not the great, ruthless Howard Stark I heard so much about! Looks like your time in Hell has softened you."

"That version of me shouldn't be your role-model."

"Why not? Dad died because I didn't do enough. I should've done more. I _could_ have done more. I held back, I hesitated. But no more. From now on, I won't let anyone or anything stand in my way. That includes you, too. But together, we can be unstoppable. Your choice."

Howard sighed, and pulled her into a hug. She didn't hug him back, but didn't push him away either. This is where he was just going to let Tony take over. Because apparently, with every word that came out of Howard's mouth, she came up with a new idea, each worse than the previous. "Tony was right about you. This was exactly what he feared."

Ana took a step back and looked at his face. "What are you talking about?"

"In Hell, Tony made you a promise, right? That he would never leave you. He meant it, Ana. He'd been working on something, a way to transfer his consciousness into cyberspace. And he succeeded. He just needed my help to build a place to store it. We call it the Haven." He showed her the mainframe in the corner, and the three stations, which would allow a human to enter the Haven. Ana had been so focused on Tony's body that she hadn't asked about anything else in the room.

"Does JARVIS know?"

"Of course he does. We wanted to wait, to see if you could process your grief and move on, but he insisted we should tell you." He climbed onto one of the stations, and put on the headset. He waited until Ana followed his example, then turned the system on.

Howard had never seen the original Malibu Mansion, but recreated it with Tony's help. This was where Ana had spent her childhood. _"I was the Merchant of Death back then, but at least my baby girl was happy," _Tony had said.

"This is… home," Ana whispered, looking around the living room, her mouth agape.

"It was Tony's idea. He figured you'd like it."

"Dad?" Tony's voice came from the upstairs, along with his footsteps, and Ana whipped her head so fast that if this was her physical body, she would have hurt her neck. She gasped loudly when Tony appeared. He didn't seem happy, though. But then, neither did Ana. "Dad, what's _she _doing here? I told you to—"

"She's not moving on, Tony. She wanted to destroy Earth to mine gravitonium, declare war on Mephisto, and commit a genocide against the Kree. And I'm only talking about the last 12 hours."

Tony turned to her. "Really, kid?"

But Ana just ignored him. "Don't get me wrong, Grandpa, this is quite impressive, but how do I know this is _truly _Dad, and not just a simulation you created to keep me under control?"

"What makes you think so?"

"Because that's what I would do if I were you. Why did Dad not tell me about this before the battle? Also, if you had this tech all along, where's your precious Cap? Why didn't you save him as well?"

"This tech has to remain secret, Ana. I wasn't sure if Steve would want this, but I couldn't have saved a copy of his consciousness without his consent. That would be wrong. So, I did what I had to do a long time ago. I let him go."

"I don't believe you."

"Why not?" Tony asked. "Arnim Zola did it. I did it better."

"Why does it have to stay hidden?"

"Remember how much trouble Holden Radcliff's Framework caused SHIELD?" Howard asked. "This place is much more limited, therefore safer than the Framework. We only recreated the Malibu Mansion, not the whole world. But I don't think SHIELD would want to take any risks."

"Baby girl," Tony said warily, and started approaching her. Howard decided to just let him handle this. "It's me. I swear, it's me."

"No, it's not. Nothing in this place is real! You're just a bunch of ones and zeros!"

"From that perspective, I was just a bunch of carbon atoms before."

She was inspecting him carefully, as though she wanted to find an error in his appearance. When he got close enough, he wrapped an arm around her, and she demanded, "Prove it, then. Tell me something Grandpa doesn't know. Something even the Darkhold can't show him."

"Well, that's easy," he said, and whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was, it must have convinced Ana, but she was still far from being happy. Instead of hugging him, she shoved him away so forcefully that Tony was almost going to fall.

"Why did you do it, Dad?" she snapped. "Everything I did, I did it to protect you! Yet you chose to die!"

"It was the only way. Thanos would've killed you."

"Yes. He would've just killed me. You _broke _me!"

For the first time since his death, there was regret in Tony's eyes. "I'm your dad, Ana. I had to protect you."

"Thanos was planning to kill half of the whole freaking universe! Why, of all those people, did he have to be our problem? I begged you to never build Mark II, Dad, didn't I? We'd be fine now if you just hadn't started it all! We were living on a small planet no one in the universe gave a shit about! Someone else would've dealt with Thanos, and Morgan would still have a father! You're Morgan's dad, too! I wish you'd just let me die…"

"Morgan would've lost _you_, then."

"Growing up without a sister is better than growing up without a father. And I would've died happy, knowing you'd get married to Pepper and live happily ever after."

"If I'd lost you, there would be no 'happily ever after.' I couldn't have been a father or a husband, Ana. I couldn't have been anything. Not even Iron Man. Not even Tony Stark. I would've just become an empty shell."

"You're so selfish, you know that, right?" she cried, but put a hand on her mouth immediately, like she regretted it. "I—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that! I didn't mean it, Dad, I… I… I…"

With a wail, she collapsed on her knees. At that moment, she gave vent to all that pain she had been forced to keep contained for the past 9 years. Howard understood now. One might think receiving a warning from her future self had forced to grow up early, but in truth, it was the opposite. Time had frozen for Ana when she had seen her future self. She was just a scarred kid who would never be able to grow up. Thanos had taken that chance from her.

"I know." Tony sat down on the floor beside her, and pulled her into his arms. The scene reminded Howard of the first time he had seen them in Hell. Tony comforting Ana as Whitney Frost tortured her with Zero Matter. At least, Howard had been able to save her from Zero Matter back then. Right now, he didn't even know what to do with himself while she was having a mental break down in front of him. Thankfully, Tony did. He always knew what his kids needed.

"It's my fault, not yours! I should've never tried to invent time-travel. I shouldn't have even thought of it... What was I thinking?"

"It's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault."

"I love you, Dad. You know that, right?"

"How can I not? You loved me so much that even guy like Thanos wanted that love for himself. What he forgot to take into account was how much_ I _loved you. That's how we won."

"Did we, though? Did _we_ win?" She broke into sobs again.

Tony pressed her head against his chest and started rocking her back and forth gently. "It's okay now. It's okay. Daddy got you. No one can separate us again."

"SHIELD can… You heard Grandpa. If they find out, they'll kill you."

"They'll never find out. We'll always be ten steps ahead of everyone."

"I'll take a million back-ups of you."

That made him smile, and put a kiss on the top of her head. "Yeah, we'll do that."

"Did it hurt? When you died?"

"Honestly, I don't know. My last back-up was saved 3 seconds before the explosion. The last thing I remember is all that ugly crying."

She chuckled lightly through her sobs, but it sounded more like a bark. "Dad…"

"Just kidding. You looked beautiful as always."

"Thanks."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Better." At least she wasn't crying or shivering anymore.

"Good."

Ana pulled herself from his embrace and looked at him expectantly. "Dad?"

"Mm?"

"Can't I stay here with you?"

"Sure. You can come see me whenever you want."

"No, I mean, live here, permanently."

He and Howard exchanged concerned looks. This was the question they had been dreading.

"Ana, if you stay here for more than three months, your physical body will… give in."

Suddenly, she was having another outburst. "So what? I don't want to go back to that world, please! Shuri, Pepper's mom, SHIELD, the press… Everyone's so cruel, I hate it! Please, Dad, let me just stay here with you! Don't send me back!"

"Honey, you're not alone. You still got Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Peter… And Morgan? Don't you want to watch Morgan grow up?"

"I can't even look at their faces anymore. They're all counting on me to pull off another miracle and bring you back from the dead. Morgan will join them once he's old enough to understand."

Tony frowned. "Did they ask you to bring me back?"

"No! Of course they wouldn't ask me directly. But I know. I know what they're thinking. If you don't believe me, ask Grandpa."

Tony looked at him, and Howard nodded. Ana wasn't lying. It didn't matter how many times Howard had explained why it wasn't Ana who had resurrected him. This was what they were all secretly hoping. That Ana would find a way to bring Tony back. It was another terrible burden of being Rescue.

"Would you like to get some sleep?" he suddenly offered.

"Do I have to sleep in this place?"

"No, but it can help you feel better. Come on, I'll tuck you in. I'll even read you a bedtime story."

"Now you're just embarrassing me…"

"Yeah, that's what you get for acting like a big baby."

Ana rolled her eyes, but Howard could see how grateful she was for everything he was doing just to put a smile on her face. Tony took her in his arms and carried her upstairs.

Once he was alone, Howard sat down on a couch. Normally, being immortal and all, he was used to doing nothing for long periods of time, but right now, he was impatient. They had an important decision to make.

As he brainstormed for a solution, JARVIS appeared in the living room. Being a program, he could get in and out of the Haven remotely. He didn't need the hardware on the island. He, too, had an avatar here, and he had chosen to look like an android. It reminded Howard of the android called Vision in the other timeline, only his color was a bluish gray, not red, and he didn't have the Mind Stone on his forehead.

"Good evening, Mr. Stark," he said, and took a seat across from him.

"How did the funeral go?"

"No one suspected a thing, if that's what you're asking."

"What about Pepper and Morgan?"

"Ms. Potts is planning to move out of the Compound. She wants to raise Morgan in a more secluded environment."

Howard nodded. He knew Tony had built a cottage for his family. That's where Pepper was planning to live now. "Good."

"When was the last time she slept?" Tony's voice interrupted them as he came down the stairs.

"65 hours and 21 minutes ago," JARVIS replied. "Under sedation."

Tony frowned when he saw that JARVIS was here. He almost looked betrayed that his trusted assistant had fallen in love with his daughter. Howard, on the other hand, was more practical and realistic about this. JARVIS had been serving this family loyally for nearly two decades, and he had no reason to take advantage of her money, name, or genius. Besides, his personality was based on his namesake's, and Howard was quite familiar with the lengths the original Jarvis was willing to go for love. Better the AI they knew than some random human jerk. Tony was just being immature about it, but he would come around.

"Is she asleep now?" Howard asked.

He nodded gravely, then came to sit down beside his father.

"Tony, can you… heal her?"

"I'll figure something out. But not while the whole universe knows her as the girl who killed Thanos."

"She didn't do it alone."

"No, but it's her name they whisper in fear. I know the UN is already planning to turn her into an interstellar nuclear deterrent. And Fury wants to make her his new protégée. They're not going to stop until they tear her apart, Dad."

Of course Tony was still keeping close tabs on what was happening in the world. He was right. Now that Earth was a part of a bigger universe, governments were developing defense strategies against aliens. And a considerable amount of those strategies included Ana's involvement. He wasn't wrong about Fury either.

"I won't let them."

"Yeah, except such things never go as planned. She wants no part in this superhero business. She never has. This is not the kind of life she deserves. Sometimes I wonder if I'm tormenting her by forcing her to live it."

"You just want what's best for her."

"I'm pretty sure even Thanos said the same about his kids at some point."

"Tony… If she dies in the physical world, there will be no turning back," he reminded.

"I know that. But I also know her. If she has a second chance to be happy, it's right here. And I know she won't regret anything, but… What if she does? What if she changes her mind one day? What if she wants to return for some reason?"

Howard gave his shoulder a squeeze. This wasn't an easy choice. He understood his struggle. No one in this room wanted Ana to give up on her life, but there was also the fact that a part of her had been damaged beyond repair, and that damage could only be contained here, by Tony.

"Can't you just put her body in a cryo chamber or something?" Tony asked him.

"That would freeze all her organs, including her brain. Split her consciousness into two."

"Meaning she'd be back to square one if she woke up one day."

"Exactly."

"There's another way," JARVIS suddenly said.

Tony crossed his arms stubbornly. "Alright, Romeo. Let's hear it."

"Do you remember the gel matrix the ATCU used to contain the Inhumans?"

This was actually an excellent solution. "I'm sure I can get my hands on it… Well done, JARVIS."

"Not bad, but you're going to have to do more than that to earn my trust back," Tony said, obviously trying very hard not to appear impressed. "And how are we going to explain her absence?"

"Her LMD," JARVIS replied. "I can keep pretending to be her. No one will be able to tell the difference."

Tony nodded thoughtfully. "Deceiving the public is easy. The inner circle is the real challenge. They know Ana too well. If they find out, and we get compromised one day, they'll be in trouble, too."

"Strange probably saw this when he looked into your future. But he wouldn't have made a deal with you if he deemed the Haven dangerous. And Peter can sense LMDs. Maybe I can convince him not to ask too many questions."

"Yeah, he's a good kid."

There was something else was nagging at Howard's mind, though. "Are you sure you want to lie to Pepper as well?"

"We've been through this, Dad. She can't know about the Haven."

"She misses you, too, you know."

"Yeah, but unlike Ana, she's going through a healthy mourning process. She'll move on. This place will only confuse her. I hate this thought, believe me, but if she meets another guy one day… I can't ask her to turn into a hermit. I can't be reunited with Pepper until she doesn't have an actual life to live anymore."

"I don't think there will be another man for her."

"Neither do I. But I can't take away her choice. It's not fair. I don't know, maybe I'll have a change of heart. Let's see how things are going to play out first."

Howard put an arm around his shoulders and tugged him closer, to let him know that no matter what he chose to do, he would have his father's support. "I better get back to the physical world."

"Well, it's settled, then. Ana stays here with me. Take good care of Pepper and Morgan."

"I always do."

* * *

**A/N: Wow, I can't believe I did it. I finished my first trilogy! Thank you everyone who is reading this. I always try to be a "write for yourself" type of author, but every review/follow/fav/kudos etc. made my day in this past year. So, thank you!**

**I know the plot and the timeline got confusing sometimes. I'm not going to lie, there were days all that planning gave even me a headache. And I did it all by myself, so no matter how careful I was, there might be some plotholes or continuity errors. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to get this complicated when I first started writing. Things kind of spiraled out of control, lol. Hopefully, I didn't mess it up too much.**


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